[Retinopathy in pancreatitis]

Three patients with retinopathy associated with acute pancreatitis were observed. Each of them had a long history of alcohol abuse. The first patient was asymptomatic. Second one developed moderate visual loss in one eye (visual acuity 20/40), with a fascicular defect on Goldmann visual field registration. Third patient complained with bilateral and severe visual loss, with a large central scotoma. Cotton-wool patches and hemorrhages were present in the mild types of retinopathy. These cases had a good prognosis. An ischemic edema of posterior pole was associated in severe type of retinopathy. In this case, fluorescein angiography showed occluded macular retinal arterioles. Visual prognosis was poor. Pathogenesis of the lesions is still discussed. The main hypothesis are fat emboli or activated complement-induced granulocyte embolus formation. Efficacity of corticosteroids is not known.