VARIX OF A VORTEX VEIN AMPULLA INDUCED BY NODULAR SCLERITIS

PURPOSE: To describe a patient with a painful red-eye syndrome and a choroidal mass lesion that was diagnosed after multimodal imaging with a vortex vein ampulla varix induced by a nodular posterior scleritis. METHODS: Retrospective case report documented with fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, b-mode ultrasound, fundus imaging, and swept-source optical coherence tomography. RESULTS: A 24-year-old man presented with a painful red eye and sudden onset blurred vision. Fundus exam disclosed macular choroidal folds and a nonpigmented mass lesion at the inferior equator. Swept-source optical coherence tomography showed enlarged choroidal vessels with fluid in the suprachoroidal space under the central macula and a hyporeflective lobulated choroidal cavity in the inferior temporal retina. Multimodal imaging with contrast dyes showed a dilated vortex vein ampulla with early hyperfluorescence and a complete washout in late acquisitions on indocyanine green. The patient recovered uneventfully after a short-course administration of oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, disclosing irregular scleral nodules on swept-source optical coherence tomography that remained stable over a twelve-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: This report suggests that nodular posterior scleritis can induce a vortex vein ampulla varix and contributes to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of this entity. We further suggest that in a diagnostic puzzling scenario the inflammatory syndrome should be treated before attempting to perform a chorioretinal biopsy.