CONTRIBUTION II Anterior uveitis and multiple sclerosis DAVID M. MEISLER, MD; ROBERT L. TOMSAK, MD, PHD; SAMIA KHOURY, MD; MAURICE R. HANSON, MD; IVAN R. SCHWAB, MD; RICHARD M. RANSOHOFF, MD • Three patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis and uveitis were studied. The uveitis presented as inflammation of the anterior segment of the eye (iridocyclitis) and was characterized by large keratic precipitates and posterior synechiae, consistent with a granulomatous iridocyclitis. Clinical and labora- tory evidence militated against other central nervous system diseases often associated with uveitis includ- ing neurosarcoidosis, Behcet's syndrome, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease, neurosyphilis, and tuberculosis. Further attention should be directed to the possibility of granulomatous anterior uveitis in patients with multiple sclerosis. • INDEX TERMS: IRIDOCYCLITIS; MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS; UVEITIS DCLEVE CLIN J MED 1989; 56:535-538 ULTIPLE sclerosis (MS) is a central nerv- PATIENTS ous system (CNS) disorder in which tissue injury appears to be mediated in part by au- Two patients (Cases 1 and 2) were examined in the toimmune mechanisms.1 The most com- Ophthalmology Department of The Cleveland Clinic moMn form of ocular inflammation associated with multi- Foundation (CCF) and the third (Case 3) in the Oph- ple sclerosis is optic neuritis.2 Another form of ocular thalmology Department of West Virginia University inflammation, uveitis, has less commonly been as- Medical Center. sociated with MS.3-7 In clinical series to date uveitis in- volving the anterior segment of the eye (iridocyclitis) in Case 1 MS has been uncommon and usually mild. At age 18, a black woman presented with quadripare- We report on three patients with multifocal neuro- sis and bilateral visual disturbance; further details were logical disease fulfilling the Poser criteria for clinically not available. She was told that she had multiple sclero- definite MS.8 All had signs of anterior uveitis. In addi- sis. Her condition then improved considerably over tion the inflammation had the clinical appearance of a months. Over the next several years, she had relapses, chronic "granulomatous" iridocyclitis. which included gait disturbance and sensory abnormali- ties; at age 28, generalized seizures developed, for which she was treated with phenytoin. She consulted us in From the Departments of Ophthalmology (D.M.M.), Neurology 1976 at age 31 because of an exacerbation of neurologi- (M.R.H., R.M.R.), and the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research (R.M.R.), The Cleveland Clinic Founda- cal symptoms. At that time she had dysarthria, a visual tion; Division of Neuro-Ophthalmology (R.T.), Department of Neu- acuity of 20/25 OD and 20/800 OS, optic atrophy bi- rology (S.K.), University Hospitals of Cleveland; and Department of laterally, horizontal nystagmus worse on gaze left, ataxic Ophthalmology (I.R.S.), West Virginia University Medical Center, gait, and spastic quadriparesis. Her condition improved Morgantown. Submitted July 1988; accepted Oct 1988. partially over several months. At age 38 she complained Address reprint requests to D.M.M., Department of Ophthal- mology, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, One Clinic Center, 9500 of decreased visual acuity and ocular tearing and burn- Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44195. ing. Visual acuity was 20/30 OD and light perception JULY • AUGUST 1989 CLEVELAND CLINIC JOURNAL OF MEDICINE 535 Downloaded from www.ccjm.org on September 27, 2021. For personal use only. All other uses require permission. UVEITIS AND MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS • MEISLER AND ASSOCIATES FIGURE 1. Case 1: Slit-lamp photograph demonstrating FIGURE 2. Case 3: T2-weighted axial magnetic resonance granulomatous-appearing keratic precipitates. image showing multiple periventricular areas of increased signal intensity. OS. She was found to have iridocyclitis OS character- ized by large white granulomatous-appearing keratic Case 2 precipitates, anterior chambcr cells, and posterior syne- At age 40 a black woman had onset of a visual distur- chiae. Chest radiographs were normal, and a gallium bance in the right eye. At age 48 (1985) she told us that scan showed only minimally increased uptake in the she had had difficulty writing with her right hand for lacrimal and parotid glands. The PPD was positive and three months and that she had had loss of control of the serum angiotensin converting enzyme (SACE) was nor- left leg and loss of balance for three weeks. Examination mal. Over the next four years she had numerous docu- at that time showed ataxic dysarthria, ataxic gait, limb mented exacerbations of uveitis in both eyes, which re- dysmetria, and bilateral pyramidal tract abnormalities. sponded to posterior sub-Tenon's injections of Visual acuity was 20/200 OD and 20/400 OS. Granulo- triamcinolone and topical steroids. During this period matous-appearing keratic precipitates, mild anterior isoniazid and rifampin were prescribed for presumed chamber inflammatory reaction OU, and peripheral ret- tuberculosis as the cause of the granulomatous uveitis, inal vascular sheathing OD were seen on slit-lamp ex- however, recurrence of uveitis was observed despite con- amination. The anterior segment inflammation re- tinued antituberculous therapy (Figure J). When last sponded to topical steroid therapy. Serologic tests for seen in 1987 (age 42), her visual acuity was 20/40 —1 syphilis were negative; lysozyme, SACE, and chest OD and 20/400 OS. Other neurologic symptoms had re- radiographs were normal. Visual evoked responses were mained stable or progressed minimally. delayed bilaterally, and brain stem auditory evoked re- Serologic tests for syphilis were nonreactive on sponses showed right brain stem dysfunction. Cutaneous several occasions. Sputum smears and cultures for tuber- testing for anergy showed responses to mumps, tri- culosis were repeatedly negative. In 1985, cerebrospinal chophyton, and monilia but not to tuberculin. The spi- fluid (CSF) examination showed no erythrocytes, 27 nal fluid, under normal pressure, had no erythrocytes, leukocytes/|iL, protein 40 mg/dL, glucose 87 mg/dL, one leukocyte/|jL, protein 25 mg/dL, glucose 62 mg/dL, IgG/albumin ratio of 0.67 (normal 0.05-0.17) and daily an IgG/albumin ratio of 0.52, daily IgG synthesis rate of IgG synthesis rate of 47.4 mg (normal 0-3.7 mg). In 27.7 mg, and oligoclonal bands were identified in CSF. 1986, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the brain A cervical myelogram was normal. In 1986, MR imaging showed periventricular lesions consistent with MS of the brain showed multiple periventricular, left cere- (Figure 2). A conjunctival biopsy showed no abnormali- bellar, and right cerebellar peduncle abnormalities on ties. T2-weighted images. Conjunctival biopsy was normal. 536 CLEVELAND CLINIC JOURNAL OF MEDICINE VOLUME 56 NUMBER 5 Downloaded from www.ccjm.org on September 27, 2021. For personal use only. All other uses require permission. UVEITIS AND MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS • MEISLER AND ASSOCIATES Case 3 chamber reaction is minimal or absent, synechiae (adhe- In 1966, a 23-year-old white woman developed bi- sions of iris to other ocular structures) rarely form, and lateral lower limb paresthesia. In 1967 she developed inflammatory cells are present in the anterior vitreous.10 left optic neuritis, which produced a large central sco- Retinal periphlebitis, i.e., sheathing of retinal veins, toma lasting three weeks. Later that year, she had two often near the ora serrata (juncture of pars plana of the weeks of vertigo, vomiting, and urinary hesitancy. Neu- ciliary body with the retina) is also part of the clinical rological examination revealed dysarthric speech, right spectrum of intermediate uveitis. facial weakness, pyramidal tract and cerebellar dysfunc- The incidence and significance of uveitis in MS are tion, and decreased appreciation of position changes in not well known. Reports have described sheathing of pe- the lower limbs. Dementia was present. She improved to ripheral retinal vasculature occurring in individuals with a degree, but in 1968, she had nystagmus on lateral gaze MS, sometimes associated with cellular debris in the vit- to either side as well as the previously noted dysarthria reous3"7; these changes are consistent with the descrip- and pyramidal tract and cerebellar dysfunction. Bilateral tion of intermediate uveitis.10 uveitis was identified in 1972. Chest radiographs showed In our series, all patients had signs of severe iridocy- healed histoplasmosis and skin testing was positive for clitis in addition to signs of intermediate uveitis. Ante- mumps and histoplasmosis. Vitreous cellular debris was rior segment inflammation was characterized by keratic noted in both eyes in 1974. She suffered recurrent epi- precipitates, posterior synechiae (adhesions of the iris to sodes of optic neuritis between 1975 and 1977, and in lens), and cellular reaction in the anterior chamber. All 1976 visual acuity was 20/200 OD and 20/100 OS. In had keratic precipitates that appeared clinically similar early 1980, slit-lamp examination revealed granuloma- to those occurring in ocular manifestations of systemic tous-appearing keratic precipitates. In 1983 the uveitis granulomatous diseases, such as sarcoidosis. worsened, and neurological examination showed new Granulomatous-appearing uveitis has rarely been as- left facial weakness, new hypalgesia on the lower limbs, sociated with MS. Recently, Bachman et alu described and the pyramidal tract dysfunction, cerebellar dysfunc- five women with granulomatous