A Case of Branch Retinal Arteriole Occlusion and Paracentral Acute Middle Maculopathy after COVID-19 Infection.

IF 0.6 Q4 OPHTHALMOLOGY

Case Reports in Ophthalmology Pub Date : 2026-01-29 eCollection Date: 2026-01-01 DOI:10.1159/000550630

Androniki Syrrou, Maide Gözde İnam, Onur İnam, Sarah Pilson, Tongalp H Tezel

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to report a case of segmental deep capillary plexus ischemic injury after COVID-19 infection in a vaccinated otherwise healthy male.

Case presentation: A healthy 38-year-old male presented with a complaint of not being able to see above his fixation point in the left eye. He had developed a positive scotoma 2 weeks after a COVID-19 infection. Examination showed a branch retinal arteriole occlusion in the inferotemporal quadrant with an area of subtle arcuate retinal whitening inferior to the fovea. Systemic workup was unremarkable. His vision remained 20/20, with a persistent scotoma over 2 months. Severe thinning of the inner nuclear layer and marked attenuation of the outer plexiform layer in an arcuate segment inferior to the fovea were detected with optical coherence tomography (OCT). OCTA revealed a flow void in the deep capillary plexus inferior to the fovea and cessation of the blood flow distal to the occluded retinal arteriole.

Conclusion: This case highlights the deep capillary plexus's unique vulnerability to COVID-19-related occlusion, likely due to its high autoregulatory demand and dense vascular architecture. It emphasizes the need for further investigation into retinal microvascular complications of the disease.

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COVID-19感染后视网膜小动脉分支闭塞并发中央旁急性中黄斑病变1例。

本研究的目的是报告一例接种疫苗的健康男性COVID-19感染后的节段性深毛细血管丛缺血性损伤。病例介绍：一位健康的38岁男性，自诉左眼注视点以上看不到东西。他在感染COVID-19两周后出现了阳性暗斑。检查显示颞下象限视网膜小动脉分支闭塞，在中央窝下方有细微弓形视网膜白化。系统的检查并不显著。他的视力仍然是20/20，持续暗斑超过2个月。光学相干断层扫描（OCT）发现中央窝下方弓形段内核层严重变薄，外丛状层明显衰减。OCTA显示深毛细血管丛在中央窝下方有血流空洞，闭塞的视网膜小动脉远端血流停止。结论：本病例突出了深毛细血管丛对covid -19相关闭塞的独特脆弱性，可能是由于其高自我调节需求和致密的血管结构。它强调需要进一步研究视网膜微血管并发症的疾病。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Case Reports in Ophthalmology OPHTHALMOLOGY-

CiteScore

0.90

自引率

0.00%

发文量

129

审稿时长

12 weeks

期刊介绍： This peer-reviewed online-only journal publishes original case reports covering the entire spectrum of ophthalmology, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, toxicities of therapy, supportive care, quality-of-life, and survivorship issues. The submission of negative results is strongly encouraged. The journal will also accept case reports dealing with the use of novel technologies, both in the arena of diagnosis and treatment. Supplementary material is welcomed. The intent of the journal is to provide clinicians and researchers with a tool to disseminate their personal experiences to a wider public as well as to review interesting cases encountered by colleagues all over the world. Universally used terms can be searched across the entire growing collection of case reports, further facilitating the retrieval of specific information. Following the open access principle, the entire contents can be retrieved at no charge, guaranteeing easy access to this valuable source of anecdotal information at all times.