Purpose: To evaluate the retina in autopsy eyes from patients over age 60 with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa and a mutation in the RP13 gene (designated as PRPC8, Arg2310Gly), rhodopsin Pro23His, rhodopsin Cys110Arg, or rhodopsin Glu181Lys.
Design: Histologic study of the retina.
Methods: All eyes were prepared for electron microscopy within 12 hours after death.
Results: All eyes showed loss of rod photoreceptors. Remaining cones showed perinuclear membranous swirls, inclusion bodies in the inner segments, and shortened or absent outer segments despite causation by various gene defects.
Conclusion: The comparable histologic findings in these four cases suggest a final common pathway leading to photoreceptor cell death in these dominant forms of retinitis pigmentosa.