the confocal scan features of keratic precipitates in fuchs’ heterochromic iridocyclitis

purpose: to report confocal scan features of keratic precipitates (kps) in fuchs’ heterochromic iridocyclitis (fhic). methods: in this descriptive study, corneal confocal scan was performed to characterize kps in patients with fhic referred to labbafinejad medical center from november 2005 to march 2007. polymerase chain reaction (pcr) for herpes simplex virus, herpes zoster virus, toxoplasma gondii, cytomegalovirus and rubella virus was performed on aqueous humor samples taken in 4 patients who underwent phacoemulsification. results: confocal scan was performed in 40 eyes of 34 patients including 18 male and 16 female subjects with mean age of 30.7±10.5 (range 18-57) years. fhic was bilateral in 6 and unilateral in 28 patients. the distribution of kps was diffuse in 31 eyes and limited to the inferior cornea in 9 eyes. the morphology of kps included: globular, 34 eyes (85%); infiltrating, 31 eyes (77.5%); dendritiform, 31 eyes (77.5%); stippled, 27 eyes (67.5%); and cruciform, 25 eyes (62.5%). none of the cases demonstrated smooth-rounded kps. pcr of aqueous specimens was negative for the above-mentioned infectious agents in 4 eyes who had infiltrating and dendritiform kps on confocal scan. conclusion: confocal features of kps in fhic are diverse and include globular, infiltrating and dendritiform, stippled and cruciform. presence of infiltrating and dendritfrom kps in fhic may be suggestive of a possible infectious etiology, however the results of pcr were negative in the limited numbers of such patients in our series