CLINICAL AND FLUORESCEIN ANGIOGRAPHIC FINDINGS IN PATIENTS WITH CENTRAL RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSION (A UNICENTRIC STUDY ON 125 PATIENTS)

Between January 1986 and December 1989 we prospectively studied 125 patients with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). Documented by fundus photography and fluorescein angiography clinical and angiographic findings were analysed. The age of the patients was between 22 and 89 years with a mean of 60 years. 74 (59%) were male and 51 (41%) female. 63 (50.4%) right and 62 (49.6%) left eyes were affected. Arterial hypertension was found in 34 (37.2%) and diabetes mellitus in 18 (14.4%) of the patients. Glaucoma was present in 14 (11.2%). 11 (8.8%) patients had bilateral CRVO. Preretinal neovascularisation was found in 5 (4%), vitreous hemorrhage in 6 (4,8%) and a retinal detachment in 2 (1,6%) patients. Iris neovascularisation at time of first presentation was found in 8 (6,4%) of all patients, related to the number of ischemic type of CRVO in 17.7%. Cystoid macular edema was found in 77 (61,6%), ischemic maculopathy in 24 (19,2%) patients, and a combination of cystoid and ischemic maculopathy in 11 (8.8%). Mean visual acuity was 20/100. A non ischemic type was present in 80 (64%) an ischemic in 45 (36%) of patients. Mean visual acuity in the non ischemic type was 20/60 and highly significant better (p < 0.0001) than in the ischemic type with a mean visual acuity of 20/400 (Mann-Whitney test). The density of intraretinal hemorrhages (p = 0.0005) and type of maculopathy (p<0.0001) were highly significant related to the ischemia type (chi-square method).