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Updated: Feb 18, 2026
Author Spotlight: Ex Vivo OCT-Based Multimodal Imaging of Human Donor Eyes for Research into Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Published on: May 26, 2023
PARACENTRAL ACUTE MIDDLE MACULOPATHY IN A PERIVENULAR FERN-LIKE DISTRIBUTION WITH EN FACE OPTICAL COHERENCE
Sean T Garrity1, Victoria L Tseng1, David Sarraf1,2
1Stein Eye Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Purpose:
To report a case of central retinal vein occlusion resulting in a perivenular pattern of paracentral acute middle maculopathy lesions best identified with en face optical coherence tomography (OCT).
Methods:
Retrospective case report. Optos ultra-widefield fluorescein angiography, spectral domain OCT, en face OCT, and OCT angiography were performed.
Results:
A 41-year-old man presented with decreased vision in the right eye for 2 weeks. Funduscopic examination of the affected right eye was notable for subtle retinal whitening in the macula, mild retinal venous dilation and tortuosity, and few scattered retinal dot and blot hemorrhages consistent with an acute central retinal vein occlusion. Widefield fluorescein angiography demonstrated delayed arterial and venous filling but no evidence of significant peripheral retinal vascular ischemia. En face OCT segmented at the inner nuclear layer illustrated a remarkable and precise perivenular distribution of fern-like paracentral acute middle maculopathy with periarterial sparing, whereas en face OCT segmented at the outer nuclear layer demonstrated florid cystoid macular edema. At 6-week follow-up, OCT demonstrated patchy areas of atrophic inner nuclear layer and spontaneous resolution of the cystoid macular edema. Optical coherence tomography angiography at the level of the deep capillary plexus illustrated remarkable flow reduction of the deep capillary plexus in mainly a perivenular distribution.
Conclusion:
The authors report a case of a central retinal vein occlusion with mild retinal findings associated with a remarkable perivenular pattern of paracentral acute middle maculopathy with en face OCT. Follow-up OCT angiography demonstrated significant flow reduction of the deep capillary plexus in a perivenular pattern. The perivenular pattern of paracentral acute middle maculopathy lesions with en face OCT can be an important finding suggestive of a central retinal vein occlusion.
