INTRARETINAL SCLEROCHOROIDAL VESSELS IN EYES WITH SEVERE CHORIORETINAL THINNING: HYPOTHESIS ON BRUCH's MEMBRANE FAILURE.
Alberto Quarta, Ye He, Giulia Corradetti et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
Case in brief
A retrospective case series described six eyes with advanced chorioretinal thinning from varied causes, including pathologic myopia, iatrogenic staphyloma, chronic anti-VEGF exposure, and nonmyopic macular atrophy. Multimodal imaging showed a large-caliber, nonexudative vessel entering the neurosensory retina in each eye. OCT demonstrated a tubular structure with a hyperreflective wall and hyporeflective lumen, arising at focal Bruch’s membrane disruptions; OCT angiography, when available, showed flow without signs of leakage or neovascular proliferation. The vessels were characterized as nonproliferative and clinically stable.
What made this case unusual
The vessels entered the retina through focal Bruch’s membrane disruptions in severely thinned chorioretinal tissue, sometimes occupying more than 50% of retinal thickness at the entry point.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
Assess these lesions with multimodal imaging: a vessel with intraluminal flow but no leakage or neovascular features may represent an intraretinal sclerochoroidal vessel rather than an exudative lesion.
Why it matters
Recognizing this imaging pattern can help avoid misdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment.