Central retinal vein occlusion in a patient with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

PURPOSE: To describe the occurrence of central retinal vein occlusion in a patient with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: A 52-year-old woman developed central retinal vein occlusion in the acute phase of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, followed by iris neovascularization only 1 month after the onset of central retinal vein occlusion. Color Doppler imaging of the affected eye showed an increased resistive index of the central retinal artery and reduced blood flow velocity of the central retinal vein compared to the fellow eye. CONCLUSION: We describe a rare association between central retinal vein occlusion and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura with rapid evolution of iris neovascularization. Our case demonstrates that close ophthalmologic attention is important in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. (C) 2001 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.