Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome presenting with bilateral optic disc swelling and leptomeningeal enhancement

Abstract

Vogt-Koynagi-Harada (VKH) disease is a clinical syndrome with classical ocular and extraocular findings that is not uncommonly described in Asian, Middle-Eastern and South American populations. We describe a case of VKH in an elderly Polish-Australian distinguished by prominent bilateral disc swelling rather than uveitis and marked leptomeningeal enhancement on MRI which led to extensive investigation including brain biopsy. Both disc oedema and MRI abnormalities improved dramatically with systemic steroid therapy. VKH disease is an important differential to consider in older patients with an uveo-meningeal picture and atypical eye findings where other causes have been excluded.