Purpose
Characteristic signs related to blood flow were described in spectral domain optical coherent tomography (SD-OCT) in patients with branch retinal vein occlusions. The resulting image of the scan of the veins was either an hourglass-shape (when the blood flow was maintained), or an homogeneous internal reflectivity (slow flow <5mm/seconds). The purpose of this study was to analyze possible correlations between SD-OCT, clinical and angiographic findings.
Methods
Prospective study of patients with branch or central retinal vein occlusion. For each patient: major veins cross-sectional SD-OCT images, macular thickness, visual acuity measurement, initial fluorescein angiography (and on request during follow-up) were performed.
Results
A total of 39 eyes of 39 patients were included. The cross-sections of the major retinal veins showed an hourglass-shape in 18 patients and an homogeneous reflectivity in 21 patients. Mean venous filling time on angiography in the homogeneous-reflectivity group was significantly longer than in the hourglass-shape group (35.5 seconds and 29.1seconds respectively, p=0.0449). Arterial filling time was not different in both groups. Mean macular thickness was higher in the homogeneous-reflectivity group (571μm) than in the hourglass-shape group (380μm) (p=0.0278). Retinal ischemia was also larger in the homogeneous-reflectivity group (p=0.0025).
Conclusions
The SD-OCT findings of major retinal veins seemed to be correlated with retinal ischemia and macular edema in patients with retinal vein occlusion
Keywords: 550 imaging/image analysis: clinical •
749 vascular occlusion/vascular occlusive disease