Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion

Abstract

Branch retinal vein occlusion has an incidence of 0.5% to 1.2%. Several risk factors, such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, thrombophilia and hypercoagulation, systemic and inflammatory diseases, medications, and ocular conditions, have found to be associated with BRVO. The symptoms depended on the site and severity of the occlusion. The average reduction in visual acuity for ischemic BRVO is 20/50 and for nonischemic BRVO is 20/60. Acute BRVO can be detected by fundoscopy, where flame hemorrhages, dot and blot hemorrhages, cotton wool spots, hard exudates, retinal edema, and dilated tortuous veins can be observed. Chronic BRVO would be more subtle and characterized by the appearance of venous collateral formation and vascular sheathing, in addition to complications previously mentioned. Areas of ischemia can be evaluated using fluorescein angiography. The extent of macular edema and the presence of retinal detachment can be detected by fundoscopic examination or fluorescein angiography, although optical coherence tomography is considered to be the best method. As far as complications, the most common is macular edema, followed by retinal neovascularization, vitreous hemorrhage, or retinal detachment.

Optimal Treatment of Retinal Vein Occlusion: Canadian Expert Consensus

“…As central retinal veins and arteries are present within the same adventitial sheath within the lamina cribrosa, arterial stiffness can affect neighboring veins, leading to CRVO [5,6]. BRVO may be the result of a combination of vein compression at arteriovenous crossings, degenerative changes within venous walls, and hypercoagulability [5,7].…”

Authors′ reply

“…[2] Limited number of patients in our study may be due to our exclusion criteria. After detailed physical examination, patients with suspected systemic illnesses excluded from the study, except systemic hypertension.…”

Pyogenic Granuloma of the Retina: A Case Series

“…These new vessels occur at the vitreoretinal interface and penetrate the inner limiting membrane into the vitreous. These vessels are typically fenestrated, brittle, and leaky, which can result in vitreous hemorrhage [1-4]. Retinal vein occlusion is usually a complication of systemic hypertension or hypercoagulability, as retinal blood supply is compromised from thrombosis or obstruction of a retinal vein branch from an overlapping rigid, sclerosed arteriole, leading to disorganized neovascularization.…”