Choriocapillaris Alterations in Type 1 and Type 2 Torpedo Maculopathy: A Multimodal Imaging Case Series
- 1Eye Clinic, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
Abstract
Background: Torpedo maculopathy is an uncommon, usually asymptomatic chorioretinal lesion temporal to the fovea. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) distinguishes a non-cavitary type 1 from a cavitary type 2 phenotype, but choriocapillaris involvement in these phenotypes remains incompletely defined. This report describes the choriocapillaris findings in one patient with each phenotype. Methods: Two women with unilateral torpedo maculopathy, aged 18 (type 1) and 52 years (type 2), underwent multicolor imaging, fundus autofluorescence, spectral-domain OCT, and OCT angiography, which were assessed qualitatively. Results: Best-corrected visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes of each patient. Both lesions showed outer-retinal changes and topographic correspondence between fundus autofluorescence abnormalities and choriocapillaris flow-signal attenuation. In the type 1 lesion, the inner retinal layers were preserved without cavitation, and choriocapillaris attenuation was focal and relatively homogeneous. The type 2 lesion showed subretinal cavitation (subretinal cleft), focal attenuation of the retinal pigment epithelium–Bruch membrane complex, and a choriocapillaris flow deficit that appeared more extensive within the imaged region. Conclusions: These observations suggest involvement of the retinal pigment epithelium–choriocapillaris unit in both phenotypes. As they derive from one patient per phenotype at a single time point, they cannot be extended to the two subtypes; longitudinal imaging is required to define the temporal relationship between outer-retinal and choriocapillaris changes.
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BibTeX
@article{cennamo2026choriocapillaris,
title = {{Choriocapillaris Alterations in Type 1 and Type 2 Torpedo Maculopathy: A Multimodal Imaging Case Series}},
author = {Gilda Cennamo and Michele Rinaldi and Fabiana Iorio and Davide Tramontano and Erica Caporale and Ciro Costagliola},
journal = {Journal of Clinical Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/jcm15218467},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/21/8467},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Choriocapillaris Alterations in Type 1 and Type 2 Torpedo Maculopathy: A Multimodal Imaging Case Series
AU - Gilda Cennamo
AU - Michele Rinaldi
AU - Fabiana Iorio
AU - Davide Tramontano
AU - Erica Caporale
AU - Ciro Costagliola
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Journal of Clinical Medicine
DO - 10.3390/jcm15218467
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/21/8467
AB - Background: Torpedo maculopathy is an uncommon, usually asymptomatic chorioretinal lesion temporal to the fovea. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) distinguishes a non-cavitary type 1 from a cavitary type 2 phenotype, but choriocapillaris involvement in these phenotypes remains incompletely defined. This report describes the choriocapillaris findings in one patient with each phenotype. Methods: Two women with unilateral torpedo maculopathy, aged 18 (type 1) and 52 years (type 2), underwent multicolor imaging, fundus autofluorescence, spectral-domain OCT, and OCT angiography, which were assessed qualitatively. Results: Best-corrected visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes of each patient. Both lesions showed outer-retinal changes and topographic correspondence between fundus autofluorescence abnormalities and choriocapillaris flow-signal attenuation. In the type 1 lesion, the inner retinal layers were preserved without cavitation, and choriocapillaris attenuation was focal and relatively homogeneous. The type 2 lesion showed subretinal cavitation (subretinal cleft), focal attenuation of the retinal pigment epithelium–Bruch membrane complex, and a choriocapillaris flow deficit that appeared more extensive within the imaged region. Conclusions: These observations suggest involvement of the retinal pigment epithelium–choriocapillaris unit in both phenotypes. As they derive from one patient per phenotype at a single time point, they cannot be extended to the two subtypes; longitudinal imaging is required to define the temporal relationship between outer-retinal and choriocapillaris changes.
SN - 2077-0383
ER -