Abstract

P 250

Detection of intraretinal microexudates in patients with retinal vein occlusion based on spectral domain optical coherence tomography

Christoph Mitsch, Matthias Bolz, Stefan Sacu, Gerlinde Matt, Wolf Bühl, Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth
Universitätsklinik für Ophtalmologie und Optometrie, Medizinische Universität Wien, Wien, Österreich

Objective
To detect and examine the distribution of well-demarcated, intraretinal hyperreflective microexudates in patients with macular edema secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion.
Methods
In a prospective case-control consecutive study, 24 patients with macular edema secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion were examined. Presence, localization and changes over time of well-demarcated hyper-reflective microexudates were analyzed by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT). All patients were examined at first manifestation of the macular edema following a monthly re-examination using the Spectralis HRA/OCT (Heidelberg Engineering©). Results were correlated with infrared and fundus photographic findings.
Results
Well-demarcated, hyper-reflective microexudates were identified as possible subclinical or very early stages of hard exudates in the area of the edema, and in not altered areas at the border of the edema of all patients. Reflective properties and distribution are consistent with characteristic alterations already found and published in patients with diabetic macular edema. Accumulations of this smallest early stages of exsudates were visible in high resolution fundus photography as very small hard exudates.
Conclusions
Well demarcated, hyper-reflective foci were identified in certain retinal layers of patients with macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusions. It is suggested that these microexudates state a subtype or early stages of hard exudates, as already  described in diabetic macular edema.

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