Capillary Dropout in Diabetic Retinopathy

Abstract

Capillary dropout is a critical process in diabetic retinopathy, resulting in ischemia, release of angiogenic growth factors, and sight-threatening retinal neovascularization. It is essential to gain a greater understanding of this process in order to develop improved treatments for diabetic retinopathy. This chapter will review the organization, structure, and cellular composition of retinal capillaries. The histopathologic and clinical manifestations of capillary dropout in diabetic retinopathy will be discussed. Methods for detecting capillary dropout and experimental models for studying this phenomenon will be presented. Potential mechanisms for capillary dropout as well as contributory biochemical pathways will be discussed. Finally, the clinical consequences of capillary dropout will be summarized, highlighting the critical importance of this process in the pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy.