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RETINAL VESSELS WHITENING IN RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA
Shaden H Yassin1, Naomi E Wagner, Fritz Gerald P Kalaw
1Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Institute, University of California, San Diego, California.
Purpose:
To characterize retinal vessel whitening (RVW) in retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
Methods:
Single-center cross-sectional study. Review of clinical notes of clinically confirmed patients with RP was performed followed by grading ultra-widefield imaging. Data collected included best-corrected visual acuity, presence or absence and location of RVW and were correlated with disease.
Results:
In total, 120 RP patients' charts were reviewed. Of these, 116 patients (232 eyes) were included in the final analysis with a mean age of 43.2 (39.8-46.6) and a 1:1 male to female ratio. Retinal vessel whitening was seen in either eye of 44 (38%) subjects, most frequently in the inferotemporal quadrant ( P < 0.001). Total retinal thickness within the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study area was significantly less in eyes with RVW ( P < 0.001), a mean difference of 151.7 µ m. Both the inner and outer retina were thinner in the RVW group ( P < 0.001). There was also a significant association ( P < 0.04) between the number of quadrants of the retina affected by RVW and the reduction in retinal thickness.
Conclusion:
Retinal vessel whitening is a common finding in RP, suggesting that it should be considered as a phenotypic feature of RP. Retinal vessel whitening is also associated with structural changes to the central macula indicating its potential use as a marker of retinal disease severity.
