Rare and Unusual Choroidal Abnormalities in a Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

PURPOSE: To report a case of rare and unusual choroidal abnormalities in a 42-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: Images were obtained using fundus photography, fluorescein angiography, near-infrared reflectance (NIR) imaging, and optical coherence tomography (OCT). RESULTS: The patient had a history of SLE and central retinal artery occlusion in her right eye. Fundus examination showed no specific retinochoroidal abnormalities, with the exception of optic disc atrophy in her right eye and a peripapillary small hemorrhage in her left eye. However, NIR revealed multiple bright patchy lesions in the choroid of the posterior pole and the mid-periphery of the fundus in both eyes. OCT demonstrated irregular hyperreflectivity at the lesion sites. CONCLUSIONS: The observed choroidal abnormalities are highly specific findings and therefore indicative of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Since the coexistence of SLE and NF1 is extremely rare, this case provided the chance to examine the relationship between SLE and NF1.