Objective
To assess long-term effects of genotype on chorioretinopathy severity in subjects with mitochondrial trifunctional protein (MTP) disorders.
Design
Retrospective case series.
Participants
Consecutive patients with MTP disorders evaluated at a single center from 1994 to 2015, including 18 subjects with long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (LCHADD) and 3 subjects with trifunctional protein deficiency (TFPD).
Methods
Local records from all visits were reviewed. Every subject underwent complete ophthalmic examination and was evaluated by a metabolic physician and dietitian. Nine subjects underwent ancillary fundoscopic imaging including optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography.
Main Outcome Measures
The primary outcome measure was best-corrected visual acuity (logMAR) at the final visit. Secondary outcome measures included spherical equivalent refraction, electroretinogram (ERG) b-wave amplitudes, and qualitative imaging findings.
Results
Subjects were followed for a median of 5.6 years (range 0.3–20.2). The median age of LCHADD subjects at initial and final visits was 2.3 and 11.9 years, while the median age for TFPD subjects at initial and final visits was 4.7 and 15.5 years. Four long-term survivors over the age of 16 years were included (three subjects with LCHADD and one subject with TFPD).
LCHADD subjects demonstrated a steady decline in visual acuity from an average logMAR of 0.23 (Snellen equivalent 20/34) at baseline to 0.42 (Snellen equivalent 20/53) at the final visit, whereas TFPD patients maintained excellent acuity throughout follow up. Subjects with LCHADD, but not TFPD, showed an increasing myopia with a mean decrease in spherical equivalent refraction of 0.24 diopters per year. Multimodal imaging demonstrated progressive atrophy of the outer retina in LCHADD, often preceded by the formation of outer retinal tubulations and choriocapillaris dropout. ERG findings support the more severe clinical profile of LCHADD subjects compared with TFPD; the function of both rods and cones are diffusely attenuated in LCHADD but within normal limits for TFPD subjects.
Conclusions
Despite improved survival with early diagnosis, medical management, and dietary treatment, subjects with the LCHADD subtype of MTP disorder continue to develop visually disabling chorioretinopathy. Multimodal imaging is most consistent with choriocapillaris loss exceeding photoreceptor loss.