A new vascular pattern for idiopathic juxtafoveal telangiectasia revealed by the retinal function imager.
OBJECTIVE
The Retinal Function Imager (RFI) (Optical Imaging, Rehovot, Israel) is a novel method for assessing retinal blood flow characteristics and demonstrating the dynamics of fine retinal vasculature. The authors report a new pattern of retinal blood flow in five patients with idiopathic juxtafoveal telangiectasia (IJT) type 2.


METHODS
Retinal circulation is imaged using the RFI as a series of high-speed stroboscopically captured fundus photographs. Proprietary software aligns the images, allowing serial subtraction, and creates short video loops that show movement of red blood cells in the small and medium size retinal blood vessels.


RESULTS
Ten eyes of five patients with IJT type 2 were examined. In all cases, the RFI demonstrated a common pattern of centripetal vascular flow in the region of telangiectasia. This pattern is unique in its configuration of vascular flow into the focus of the area of telangiectasia. This pattern could not be appreciated on fluorescein angiography.


CONCLUSIONS
The RFI can detect the specific vascular pattern of the retinal blood flow in eyes of patients with IJT. The ability to characterize such blood flow patterns may aid in identification of ambiguous cases of IJT when the diagnosis is not straightforward.
Landa
Gennady
G
Department of Ophthalmology, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, 310 East 14th Street, New York, NY 10003, USA.
Rosen
Richard B
RB
D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D003941:Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005584:Fovea Centralis; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010781:Photography / Q000379:methods*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D058456:Retinal Telangiectasis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000502:physiology*