Abstract
Purpose: :
Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) is an increasingly recognized risk factor for thomboembolic events, with ocular involvement often occurring on initial presentation or during the course of disease. Although central and branch retinal arterial and venous occlusions are most commonly associated with APS, a more chronic insidious ischemic microangiopathy may be the presenting finding of this syndrome and often can be misdiagnosed as other disease etiologies. In this case series, the specific angiographic findings of APS were investigated.
Methods: :
This is a retrospective analysis of 2 patients with profound ophthalmologic manifestations of APS. These patients were evaluated by complete ophthalmologic and angiographic examination which included SLO microperimetry, fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography.
Results: :
In depth analysis of the angiographic findings was performed. Significant ocular manifestations of APS associated retinal ischemia were discovered.
Conclusions: :
Proposed mechanisms explaining the degree of retina ischemia as it relates to the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies will be discussed. Early recognition of key clinical and angiographic features of this syndrome may facilitate prompt diagnosis of this disorder and systemic intervention, reducing the risk of thromboembolic events in other organ systems.
Keywords: imaging/image analysis: clinical • vascular occlusion/vascular occlusive disease • imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound)