Resolution of leukemic retinopathy following treatment with imatinib mesylate for chronic myelogenous leukemia.
Overview
abstract
PURPOSE: To report a case of leukemic retinopathy before and after treatment with imatinib mesylate (formerly STI-571) for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). DESIGN: Interventional case report. METHODS: A 58-year-old man diagnosed with stable phase CML (SP-CML) presented with blurry vision. Fundoscopy revealed several flame-shaped hemorrhages in the macular region in both eyes. One month after this initial visit, imatinib therapy was initiated. RESULTS: : The patient noticed improvement in his visual as well as his medical symptoms; on repeat examination 6 months after the initial visit, the retinal hemorrhages had resolved and remained so after 18 months. CONCLUSIONS: Imatinib appears to be an effective treatment for SP-CML, and the improvement in visual and medical symptoms in our case report correlates with this.