Quadrantic venous-stasis retinopathy secondary to an embolic branch retinal artery obstruction

Venous-stasis retinopathy is a term used to describe the posterior segment findings of the ocular ischemic syndrome. These include midperipheral blot retinal hemorrhages, dilated retinal veins, attenuated arterioles, peripheral retinal microaneurysms, macular edema, as well as retinal and optic disc neovascularization. The authors recently evaluated a 71-year-old woman who presented with an asymptomatic calcific embolus in her right infero-temporal branch retinal artery. Classic venous-stasis retinopathy that was limited to the territory of the obstructed arteriole was present concurrently. This case appears to demonstrate that chronic retinal hypoperfusion and resultant venous-stasis retinopathy can be produced by not only high-grade, fixed stenosis but also by embolic disease.