DOI: 10.1177/11206721241247418 ISSN: 1120-6721

Late-onset Kjellin syndrome: Diagnosis of SPG11 on fundus examination

Vincent Brock, Anna Wissocq, Nicolas Geoffre, Caroline Marks, Vincent Canel, Vincent Huin, Vasily M Smirnov
  • Ophthalmology
  • General Medicine

Introduction

Spastic paraplegia (SPG) is a heterogenous group of neurodegenerative disorders, that may include ocular involvement. Here we report the clinical data of a patient with late-onset Kjellin syndrome, a peculiar form of hereditary SPG with macular dystrophy.

Materials and Methods

Clinical, functional and multimodal retinal imaging data were collected. Genetic testing was performed by Whole Exome Sequencing (WES).

Results

A 52-year-old female patient with SPG of unknown origin was referred for a progressive visual acuity loss. Multimodal fundus imaging revealed a peculiar macular dystrophy. Given the specific association of macular dystrophy and SPG, a Kjellin syndrome was suspected and genetic testing performed. WES revealed biallelic pathogenic variants in SPG11, co-segregating with disease in the family.

Conclusion

Careful ophthalmological examination prompted the diagnosis and guided molecular testing. This case underlines the importance of a neuro-ophthalmologic assessment in patients with SPG.

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