Sequential spectral domain OCT documentation of retinal changes after branch retinal artery occlusion

Abstract

Branch retinal artery occlusions (BRAO) are characterized histopathologically by inner retinal edema initially and atrophy in the presence of persistent ischemia. The duration of ischemia leading to irreversible atrophic retinal changes is not clear. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) provides non-invasive detailed in-vivo histological changes in the retina. In this case report, we show sequential in vivo pathological changes seen in the inner retinal layers, in spite of clinical improvement, following the migration of an intraretinal embolus on the optic nerve head, which had previously resulted in symptomatic BRAO. © 2010 Murthy et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd.