Experience in managing patients with X-linked congenital retinoschisis

AIM: To describe the clinical manifestations and management experience of patients with X-linked congenital retinoschisis (XLRS).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted in the ophthalmology department of the multidisciplinary clinical medical center Bonum (Yekaterinburg). Two brothers with XLRS were under observation. They underwent complete ophthalmological examinations, including electrophysiological examinations, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and fundus photoregistration. The mother refused genetic testing.

RESULTS: Both siblings had early (up to 1 year) manifestations of central foveolamellar and peripheral bullous retinoschisis. The parents are phenotypically healthy, and the relatives have no hereditary eye diseases. The younger brother had a progressive peripheral retinoschisis and underwent barrier laser retinopexy; as a result, the progression stopped at the last examination. Acetazolamide 125 mg given orally daily for 4 weeks did not have a noticeable effect on the volume of bullous cavities. The older brother had been under observation for >4 years, and spontaneous closure of retinal cavities on the periphery in one eye and retinal detachment in the other after surgical treatment of retinoschisis were observed.

CONCLUSION: Clinical cases of long-term follow-up of two brothers with XLRS are described. OCT is indicated to diagnose, assess the length and the state of the vitreoretinal interface, and monitor XLRS. Electroretignography is a specific and sensitive method for the complex diagnosis of XLRS. Barrier laser retinopexy is indicated for progressive peripheral retinoschisis. The efficacy and safety of carbonic anhydrase inhibitors in patients with XLRS require further study.