Radial Optic Neurotomy in Central Retinal Vein Occlusion: Comparison of Outcome in Younger vs Older Patients

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of radial optic neurotomy (RON) for central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) in patients ≤50 years of age (group 1) vs those >50 (group 2). Design: Prospective, interventional, comparative case series. Methods: The study included 43 consecutive patients with CRVO and preoperative visual acuity (VA) ≤0.70 logarithm of minimal angle of resolution (logMAR). All patients underwent pars plana vitrectomy and RON at the nasal border of the optic disk. VA and optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings were recorded preoperatively and at one, six, and 12 months postoperatively. Results: Systemic hypertension, diabetes, and open-angle glaucoma were statistically significantly more prevalent in group 2 (P < .05). One patient in group 1 had hyperhomocysteinemia, and had another antiphospholipid syndrome. Fifty percent of patients in group 1 gained ≥3 lines of Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) vision, vs 33% in group 2. Mean final VA was 0.5 logMAR VA in group 1 vs 0.8 in group 2 (P = .04). Foveal thickness decreased significantly in both groups (P < .001). Ten patients (55.6%) in group 1 and 13 (54.2%) in group 2 developed retinochoroidal collaterals. Conclusions: Underlying systemic disease does not seem to be an important factor in the pathogenesis of CRVO in younger patients, and thrombophilia was present in only 11% of patients in this age group. RON yielded better functional results in younger patients, although functional improvement remained limited in those with low baseline VA. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.