Optic disk anatomical features of children with central retinal vein occlusion

Abstract

Purpose: To report a case series of children with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) showing a high prevalence of crowded optic disks with minimal cupping.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of children diagnosed with CRVO from 2008 to 2019 at a single tertiary care pediatric hospital. Clinical records, fundus photographs, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) images were reviewed. Optic disk anatomical parameters of the unaffected fellow eyes, including OCT-measured optic disk area and vertical cup:disk ratio, were collected and analyzed.

Results: Six patients with unilateral CRVO were identified. All patients were female. Age at presentation ranged between 9 and 17 years. Five patients were otherwise healthy, with negative systemic investigations (idiopathic group). The remaining patient had a known systemic risk factor of active Takayasu arteritis. Within the idiopathic group, "disk-at-risk" optic nerve configuration, defined as a cup:disk ratio of 0.2 or smaller, was identified in the fellow eye of all 5 patients. In the unaffected eyes, mean OCT-measured optic disk area was 1.67 ± 0.13 mm² and mean cup:disk ratio was 0.19 ± 0.12. The patient with Takayasu arteritis had normal OCT disk area of 2.1 mm² and cup:disk ratio of 0.61.

Conclusions: We observed a high prevalence of anatomical features potentially consistent with a constrictive optic disk configuration in pediatric patients with CRVO.