Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 21, 2026
A Murine Model of Ischemic Retinal Injury Induced by Transient Bilateral Common Carotid Artery Occlusion
Published on: November 12, 2020
Central retinal artery occlusion and Susac syndrome: a case report
Tom Buelens1, Laurent Herode, Isabelle Nubourgh
1Departments of *Ophthalmology, CHU Saint-Pierre and Brugmann, and †General Internal Medicine, CHU Saint-Pierre, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
Background:
Susac syndrome is a rare disease attributed to microangiopathy involving the arterioles of the brain, retina, and cochlea. Understanding the pathogenesis is incomplete, but an immune-mediated process remains the leading hypothesis.
Methods:
Report of a single case of a previously healthy 22-year-old female patient showing the complete clinical triad.
Results:
Diagnosis of Susac syndrome in this patient was first questioned due to the atypical initial ophthalmologic presentation with central retinal artery occlusion. Multiple relapses occurred in the fellow eye during follow-up, showing the typical branch retinal artery occlusions, allowing definite diagnosis.
Conclusion:
Susac syndrome should be considered in the differential diagnosis when facing (young) patients with central retinal artery occlusion, especially in the presence of unexplained encephalopathy and/or sensorineural hearing loss.
