Retinal Vasculitis

Retinal vasculitis is a descriptive term in which there is evidence of inflammation associated with retinal vessels. This is in contrast to systemic vasculitis, which is a recognized clinicopathologic process characterized by vascular inflammation and necrosis. In retinal vasculitis, the clinical manifestation is usually perivascular sheathing, vascular leakage, or occlusion associated with various types of intermediate and posterior uveitis. The definitive underlying pathogenic mechanisms are still unclear, even though the terminology implies a type III hypersensitivity reaction, suggesting mediation via immune complex formation. Currently, there are very few available pathologic data or proven animal models to accurately support this hypothesis. From the available reported histopathologic specimens, we know that a more accurate description for these clinical entities would be phlebitis, in most cases, and perivasculitis in others. The presence of retinal vasculitis may be a primary disorder or simply a secondary response to a breakdown of the blood-eye barrier due to intraocular inflammation. Behcet's disease is perhaps the sine qua non of primary retinal vasculitis. However, numerous other ocular inflammatory disorders may have a similar clinical picture. When evaluating retinal vasculitis, it is helpful to distinguish between arteriolitis and phlebitis. Phlebitis is typically seen in Behcet's disease, sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, pars planitis, Eales' disease, syphilis, and the ocular manifestations of human immunodeficiency syndrome. Retinal arteritis is more commonly seen in polyarteritis nodosa (PAN), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and acute retinal necrosis (ARN/BARN).

作 者：

Grace A. Levy-Clarke；Robert Nussenblatt

刊 名：

International ophthalmology clinics 

年，卷(期)：

2005vol.45(no.2) 

分类号：

 

关键词：

正文语种：

eng 

基金项目：