Purpose: This study aimed at reporting lymphocytic meningitis in patients diagnosed with sympathetic ophthalmia (SO).
Methods: In this single-center retrospective observational case series, we reviewed cases diagnosed with SO. We analyzed the patients' inciting injuries, the characteristics of uveitis and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analyses.
Results: Nine patients were diagnosed with SO and CSF analyses were available in all cases. Four cases had lymphocytic pleocytosis, 3 of which showed marked CSF inflammation with more than 300 lymphocytes/mm3. The inciting event in these 3 patients was a globe perforation injury, whereas 4 patients without meningitis had SO following a surgical intervention.
Conclusions: In this case series of patients with SO, lymphocytic meningitis was a common finding. The prevalence of meningitis in patients with SO and its value for the diagnosis of the disease needs to be further studied.
Keywords: Cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis; lumbar puncture; meningitis; panuveitis; sympathetic ophthalmia.