Clinical examination accurately locates capillary nonperfusion in diabetic retinopathy.
OBJECTIVE
To help the ophthalmologist who wishes to know the perfusion status of the retina outside the macula, we determined whether clinical examination can predict capillary nonperfusion in diabetic retinopathy (DR) as accurately as fluorescein angiography (FA).


METHODS
Prospective observational case series.


METHODS



METHODS
Clinical practice.


METHODS
Both eyes of 20 patients with clinically significant diabetic macular edema (CSME).


METHODS
The location of capillary nonperfusion was recorded following 90-diopter lens slit-lamp biomicroscopy, and the same measurements made on FA.


METHODS
In the nasal and temporal quadrants of each eye, the clinical results were compared with the "gold standard" FA.


RESULTS
Most patients (84%) had definite peripheral capillary nonperfusion. Biomicroscopy results were highly correlated with angiography, with only a few differences of clinical importance.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinical examination can determine the location of capillary nonperfusion in DR with a high degree of accuracy.
Kimble
James A
JA
Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA. jkimble@uab.edu
Brandt
Bari M
BM
McGwin
Gerald
G
D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002196:Capillaries / Q000473:pathology; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D009887:Ophthalmoscopy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000473:pathology*