Regression of fetal vasculature and visual improvement in nonsurgical persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous: a case report

BACKGROUND: Persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous (PHPV) is a rare congenital developmental ocular disorder caused by incomplete regression of the embryonic hyaloid vasculature. Here we report a case of nonsurgical unilateral anterior PHPV that was managed by amblyopia treatment and resulted in an improvement of visual acuity and regression of the fetal vasculature. CASE PRESENTATION: A three-year-old girl was diagnosed with unilateral anterior PHPV in the left eye, manifested with posterior pole cataract, posterior capsule opacification, tunica vasculosa lentis, and a floating hyaloid artery connected to the retrolental mass. The plaque was not large enough to fill the pupil, and conservative management along with amblyopia treatment was conducted. Nineteen months later, the visual acuity in the affected eye improved from 20/100 to 20/50 with correction, and the fetal vasculature regressed gradually and finally into a nonperfusion ghost vessel. CONCLUSIONS: In PHPV-affected children, regression of the fetal vasculature may be observed, and conservative management and amblyopia treatment may be helpful for visual improvement. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12886-019-1173-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.