PURPOSE

To study the pathomorphology of serous retinal detachment (RD) associated with retinal vein occlusion by optical coherence tomography (OCT).

DESIGN

Retrospective chart review.

METHODS

Ninety-one eyes of 91 patients with macular edema associated with retinal vein occlusion had undergone a comprehensive ophthalmologic examination, including measurement by spectral-domain OCT.

RESULTS

Eyes with macular edema associated with retinal vein occlusion typically showed foveal cystoid spaces and marked retinal swelling, especially in the outer retina. In addition, 76 eyes (83.5%) showed serous RD involving the fovea, which ranged in thickness from 64 microm to 871 microm (219.2 +/- 161.6 microm). Fifty-two eyes showed a small pointed RD, with a small base. The point of the RD was always located beneath the fovea, where the outer surface of the swollen neurosensory retina seemed to be contracted inward, resulting in development of the pointed RD. Two eyes with no RD at the initial visit developed such a pointed RD during follow-up. In contrast, 24 eyes showed a more dome-shaped RD, with a large base, and in 18 eyes, a pointed RD seen at the initial visit changed into a dome-shaped RD during follow-up. In some cases, small outer retinal discontinuity was seen on the external surface of the swollen neurosensory retina.

CONCLUSIONS

In eyes with retinal vein occlusion, a small pointed RD initially developed just beneath the fovea, but subsequently changed into a dome-shaped RD. Based on the findings by OCT, we hypothesize that the foveal architecture, especially that of the Müller cell cone, is involved in the formation of serous RD.