[Fat embolism of retinal arteries following acute pancreatitis]

Fat embolism is well known in traumatic skull fractures, chest compression and long bone fractures. Inkeles and Walsh (1975) first described fat embolism of retinal vessels following acute pancreatitis. Fat embolism of ocular vessels in this disease is presumably due to enzymatic destruction of omental tissue. The patient described here fell ill with acute pancreatitis after years of alcohol abuse; he noticed a considerable deterioration in vision. This was a result of fat embolism of the retinal arteries. Multiple cotton wool spots around the optic nerve and in the macular area, combined with some intraretinal hemorrhages, were seen at ophthalmoscopic examination. The pathogenesis of fat embolism of choroidal and retinal vessels following acute pancreatitis is discussed in brief.