Patterns of Macular Edema in Patients with Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion on Optical Coherence Tomography

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To describe the morphologic characteristics of macular edema in branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) by using of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and to investigate the correlation between tomographic features and visual acuity (VA) METHODS: Thirty-one eyes of 30 patients with BRVO underwent a detailed history, ophthalmoscopic examination, fluorescein angiographic evaluation, and OCT examination. RESULTS: There were 4 patterns of macular edema cystoid macular edema with serous retinal detachment (13 eyes, 41.9%), cystoid macular edema (11 eyes, 35.5%), diffuse macular edema with serous retinal detachment (4 eyes, 12.9%), and diffuse macular edema (3 eyes, 9.7%). The foveal thickness, retinal volume and logMAR scale of best corrected visual acuity were significantly difference within the pattern of macular edema (Kruskall-Wallis test, P<0.05) and the presence of serous retinal detachment. CONCLUSIONS: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a useful imaging technique for monitoring the retinal thickness and tomographic changes in macular edema of branch retinal vein occlusion. Further research is required to investigate if either the pattern of macular edema or the presence of serous retinal detachment is a prognostic factor in treatment response and to choose differential treatment approaches for different tomographic features.