A new vascular pattern for idiopathic juxtafoveal telangiectasia revealed by the retinal function imager

The Retinal Function Imager (RFI) (Optical Imaging, Rehovot, Israel) is a novel method for assessing retinal blood flow characteristics and demonstrating the dynamics of fine retinal vasculature. The authors report a new pattern of retinal blood flow in five patients with idiopathic juxtafoveal telangiectasia (IJT) type 2.

Retinal circulation is imaged using the RFI as a series of high-speed stroboscopically captured fundus photographs. Proprietary software aligns the images, allowing serial subtraction, and creates short video loops that show movement of red blood cells in the small and medium size retinal blood vessels.

Ten eyes of five patients with IJT type 2 were examined. In all cases, the RFI demonstrated a common pattern of centripetal vascular flow in the region of telangiectasia. This pattern is unique in its configuration of vascular flow into the focus of the area of telangiectasia. This pattern could not be appreciated on fluorescein angiography.

The RFI can detect the specific vascular pattern of the retinal blood flow in eyes of patients with IJT. The ability to characterize such blood flow patterns may aid in identification of ambiguous cases of IJT when the diagnosis is not straightforward.