Postoperative endophthalmitis caused by nontuberculous mycobacterium is a rare but devastating complication after intraocular surgery. However, optimal treatment strategies remain undetermined in view of its rarity.
Methods
We investigated the cases of culture-proven postoperative Mycobacteroides abscessus subsp. abscessus endophthalmitis in southern Taiwan, focusing on clinical manifestations and microbiological study, and aimed to describe clinical staging and to propose a therapeutic modality for this disease.
Results
Twelve cases, including two published cases, were treated in two medical centers in southern Taiwan between Aug. 2011 and Dec. 2016, and all ever received cataract surgery at one clinic. Their disease courses could be categorized into four distinct stages, i.e., the initial, quiescent, recurrent, and end stage, and some cases experienced 1-4 cycles of quiescent-recurrent stages. Although all eyes ended up with phthisis or were eviscerated, the affected eyes receiving pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) tended to become quiescent and survived longer than those without PPV (adjusted hazard ratio: 13.9, p<0.05). Eight isolates of eight patients were available for microbiological study. All isolates were susceptible to amikacin, and inducible clarithromycin resistance was observed in 100% of isolates.
Conclusion
Despite the preservation of vision in postoperative Mycobacteroides abscessus endophthalmitis remained a challenge, a stage-based approach is proposed, which may facilitate decision-makings for the future study.
Conflict of interest
No
Author 1
Last name
HUNG
Initials of first name(s)
JH
Department
Ophthalmology
City
Tainan
Country
Taiwan
Author 2
Last name
Ko
Initials of first name(s)
WC
Department
Internal medicine
City
Tainan
Country
Taiwan
Author 3
Last name
Chen
Initials of first name(s)
PL
Department
Internal medicine
City
Tainan
Country
Taiwan
Author 4
Last name
Huang
Initials of first name(s)
EJC
Department
Ophthalmology
City
Taipei
Country
Taiwan
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