Unilateral acute retinal necrosis occurring 2 years after herpes simplex type 1 encephalitis

• Published in: Ophthalmic surgery and lasers Vol. 33; no. 3; pp. 250 - 252
• Main Authors: CHANGKOOK, Kim, YOON, Young H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thorofare, NJ Slack 01.05.2002; SLACK INCORPORATED
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Encephalitis, Herpes Simplex - complications; Fundus Oculi; Herpes Simplex; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Ophthalmology; Retinal Necrosis Syndrome, Acute - complications; Retinal Necrosis Syndrome, Acute - pathology; Retinal Necrosis Syndrome, Acute - virology; Retinopathies; Time Factors; Viral diseases; Viral diseases with cutaneous or mucosal lesions and viral diseases of the eye; Human; Encephalitis; Nervous system diseases; Retinopathy; Acute retinal necrosis; Herpesviridae; Alphaherpesvirinae; Cerebral disorder; Virus; Case study; Eye; Eye disease; Herpesvirus hominis 1; Central nervous system disease; Unilateral; Complication
• ISSN: 1082-3069; 2325-8160; 2325-8179

Acute retinal necrosis (ARN) syndrome is known to occur occasionally in association with or shortly after herpetic encephalitis. We describe a patient with unilateral ARN occurring 2 years after herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 encephalitis. A 49-year-old man presented with unilateral visual loss. He had a history of HSV-1 encephalitis 2 years previously, and had been successfully treated without a subsequent recurrence. The ophthalmologic findings were all consistent with the ARN syndrome. The same type 1 HSV was identified from ocular fluid as was identified from the patient's cerebrospinal fluid 2 years ago. There was no evidence of a recurrence of encephalitis. This case suggests that following encephalitis retinal neurons may function as a reservoir for latent HSV-1, that can be reactivated to cause ARN in situ several years later.