RETINAL VESSELS WHITENING IN RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA.

PURPOSE: To characterize retinal vessel whitening (RVW) in retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

METHODS

Single-center cross-sectional study. Review of clinical notes of clinically confirmed patients with RP was performed followed by grading ultra-widefield imaging. Data collected included best-corrected visual acuity, presence or absence and location of RVW and were correlated with disease.

RESULTS

In total, 120 RP patients' charts were reviewed. Of these, 116 patients (232 eyes) were included in the final analysis with a mean age of 43.2 (39.8-46.6) and a 1:1 male to female ratio. Retinal vessel whitening was seen in either eye of 44 (38%) subjects, most frequently in the inferotemporal quadrant ( P < 0.001). Total retinal thickness within the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study area was significantly less in eyes with RVW ( P < 0.001), a mean difference of 151.7 µ m. Both the inner and outer retina were thinner in the RVW group ( P < 0.001). There was also a significant association ( P < 0.04) between the number of quadrants of the retina affected by RVW and the reduction in retinal thickness.

CONCLUSION

Retinal vessel whitening is a common finding in RP, suggesting that it should be considered as a phenotypic feature of RP. Retinal vessel whitening is also associated with structural changes to the central macula indicating its potential use as a marker of retinal disease severity.