Analyses of ERG in a patient with intraocular lymphoma

Chieko Yasuda, Shinji Ueno, Mineo Kondo, Nagako Kondo, Chang-Hua Piao, Hiroko Terasaki

Department of Ophthalmology, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan

Purpose: To follow the changes in the electroretinograms (ERGs) in a patient with primary intraocular lymphoma (PIOL) who had a complete remission after chemotherapy.

Methods: ERGs were recorded in a 41-year-old woman with PIOL during and after complete remission with chemotherapy. The patient was diagnosed with PIOL from both the ocular signs and the medical history of cranial lymphoma.

Results: The ERGs were depressed in the subject. The amplitudes of the bright white flash b-waves were smaller than the a-waves, resulting in a “negative type” ERG. Six weeks after the beginning of chemotherapy, the ocular changes had resolved, and the ERGs, although not of the “negative type”, still showed signs that the amplitude had not returned to normal levels.

Conclusion: The negative type ERGs indicated that the inner retina had been damaged to a greater extent than the outer retina. In the convalescent stage, when the ocular manifestations were resolved, the ERGs were still not fully recovered. Although only one case was studied, we suggest that ERGs can be used to evaluate and follow patients with a PIOL.

Keywords: electroretinogram, primary intraocular lymphoma, uveitis masquerade syndrome