Clinical manifestations and echography of pars planitis

Purpose. To characterize the biomicroscopic and echographic manifestations of pars planitis. Methods. Twenty-six eyes of 13 pars planitis patients were studied with biomicroscopy and echography. Characteristics including V_A (visual acuity), anterior chamber and vitreous inflammation, cataract, PVD (posterior vitreous detachment), cystoid macular edema, pars plana snowbanks, retinal neovascularization, vitreous hemorrhage, retinal detachment, optic neuritis, and multiple sclerosis were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using Students' t-test. Results. Partial (16%) or total (44%) PVD was found in 60% of eyes. Significant relationships existed between the following; PVD detected on ultrasound versus fundus exam (p<.01) though could be diagnosed easier by echography than biomicroscopy, PVD and severity of pars plana course (p<.03), PVD and presence of a snowbank (p<.03), severity of vitreous inflammation and number of clock hours of snowbank (p<.03), and severity of pars plana course and presence of a snowbank (P<.02). No significant relationships were found between PVD and age, PVD and V_A, PVD and years pars planitis symptoms before diagnosis. Conclusions. PVD is common in pars planitis and is associated with snowbanks and severity of disease course. Ultrasound detects PVD better than fundus exam as the vitreous is often syncretic which makes it difficult to determine by ophthalmoscopy. Ultrasound also correlates well with fundus exam for detection of snowbanks.