Prolonged retinal arterio-venous circulation time by fluorescein but not by indocyanine green angiography in birdshot chorioretinopathy.
OBJECTIVE
To compare retinal arterio-venous circulation time by fluorescein (FA) and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) in birdshot chorioretinopathy.


METHODS
We analyzed prolonged retinal arterio-venous fluorescein transit time, a known feature in birdshot chorioretinopathy and correlated it with ICGA findings in four consecutive patients.


RESULTS
Mean retinal arterio-venous fluorescein circulation time was 31.1 +/- 5.2 seconds, a transit time significantly longer than in a group of ten patients with sarcoidosis (9.45 +/- 3.36 sec., p < 0.0001) and in a group of three cases with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (7.0 +/- 1.1 sec., p < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Prolonged fluorescein arterio-venous transit time seems to be a characteristic feature of birdshot chorioretinopathy that does however not reflect the actual intravascular hemodynamic situation but diffuse blood-retinal barrier damage allowing exudation, slow gradual tissue impregnation and delayed venous reabsorption of small molecules like fluorescein.
Guex-Crosier
Y
Y
Department of Ophthalmology, Hôpital Jules Gonin, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
Herbort
C P
CP
D000368:Aged; D000792:Angiography / Q000379:methods; D001776:Blood Circulation Time; D002825:Chorioretinitis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004396:Coloring Agents; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007208:Indocyanine Green; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000503:physiopathology*
D004396:Coloring Agents; D015234:HLA-A Antigens; C035524:HLA-A29 antigen; D007208:Indocyanine Green