Background/Purpose: A considerable number of patients with Behçet’s syndrome (BS) have vitreous cells on slit lamp examination at the time of diagnosis. However, the prognostic importance of vitreous cells (VC) and their association with the development of posterior uveitis (PU) requiring immunosuppressive treatment is unknown.

Methods: The charts of 144 consecutive BS patients fulfilling ISG criteria who were registered between 2010 and 2011 were reviewed. At baseline visit 59/144 patients had VC in one eye or both eyes. Among the remaining patients, 66 patients had bilateral pan or posterior uveitis, 3 had no eye involvement, and 9 had insufficient data in their medical records. Among the 59 patients with VC, 42 patients with a follow-up of ≥2 years were included in this study.

Results: At baseline, among the 42 included patients (23 men, mean±SD age: 30.3±8.7 years), 22 had VC in both eyes, 10 had VC in only one eye, and 10 had VC in one eye and PU in the other eye. There was anterior uveitis (AU) in addition to VC in the same eye in 7 patients at baseline.

New PU developed in 13 patients during a mean follow-up of 1.8±1.2 years.

4 patients that developed PU in the eye with VC had had PU in the contralateral eye at baseline. This means 4 of 10 patients with VC in one eye and PU in the contralateral eye developed bilateral PU despite treatment. Additionally, 4 patients that developed PU in the eye with VC had anterior uveitis in the same eye at baseline.

Conclusion: Careful follow-up is required for patients with VC since almost one third developed PU within 2 years. The presence of PU in the contralateral eye and AU in the same eye may be risk factors for the development of PU in patients with VC.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/development-of-posterior-uveitis-in-behcets-syndrome-patients-with-vitreous-cells-without-any-other-posterior-involvement/