title: Utility of optical coherence tomography in the evaluation of monocular visual loss related to retinal ischemia.
abstract: We report four patients with monocular visual loss for whom optical coherence tomography (OCT) was helpful in distinguishing the sequelae of retinal artery occlusion from those of primary optic neuropathy. Determinations of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness as well as macular retinal layer thicknesses and architecture were used. The major findings in our patients show that changes in the inner retinal layers (including ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer) with disruption of normal macular architecture supports a diagnosis of retinal artery occlusion. Our results support the use of OCT imaging for patients with monocular visual loss of uncertain etiology; macular imaging as well as peripapillary RNFL thickness measurement can be helpful in differentiating primary retinal disease or ischemia from primary disorders of the optic nerve.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, 240 East 38th Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nolan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, 240 East 38th Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Kannan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Narayana
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, 240 East 38th Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Shin C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Beh
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, 240 East 38th Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Janet C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rucker
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, 240 East 38th Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Laura J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Balcer
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, 240 East 38th Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: steven.galetta@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: Steven L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Galetta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001766:Blindness / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000473:pathology; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D015356:Retinal Artery Occlusion / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000473:pathology; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Branch retinal artery occlusion; Monocular vision loss; Optic nerve disease; Optical coherence tomography