Torpedo maculopathy – a case series presentation

Torpedo maculopathy is a lesion of the retinal pigment epithelium and/or choroid. In most cases it is unilateral, solitary and located in the temporal region of the macula. It appears hypopigmented with a hyperpigmented margin. Its shape resembles a torpedo: horizontally oval with a sharp nasal tip pointing towards the foveola and/or optic disc. The location and shape of the lesion are specific and diagnosis is clinical. The lesion is usually asymptomatic, found accidentally and does not require any treatment. However, it is associated with a risk of choroidal neovascular membrane formation, and a yearly follow-up is recommended. Torpedo maculopathy should be distinguished from congenital toxoplasmosis, congenital hypertrophy of retinal pigment epithelium, Turcot syndrome, Gardner syndrome, congenital simple hamartoma of the retina, choroidal nevus, and congenital Zika virus infection. Optical coherence tomography and fundus autofluorescence are sometimes helpful in differential diagnosis. In this paper, we aim to present four patients with torpedo maculopathy. Three of them were asymptomatic, and one experienced distortion of vision.