Central retinal artery occlusion without cherry-red spots.

Background: Cherry-red spots are a very important sign for the clinical diagnosis of central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO). We retrospectively summarized the clinical manifestations of CRAO and analysed the causes and characteristics of CRAO without cherry-red spots. In this study, we explored a diagnostic method for CRAO without cherry red spots.

Methods: Seventy patients (70 eyes) with CRAO were examined retrospectively. Corrected distance visual acuity, fundus photos, FA and OCT images were collected at the first outpatient visit. The causes of CRAO without cherry-red spots were analysed through fundus photos. The incidence of increased hyperreflectivity of the inner retina, central macular thickness (CMT) and arteriovenous transit time in patients with and without cherry-red spots were compared.

Results: Fundus examination showed posterior retinal whitening in 57 cases (81.43%) and cherry-red spots in 39 cases (55.71%). Thirty-one patients presented at the first outpatient visit without cherry-red spots. The reasons for the absence of cherry-red spots included leopard fundus (32.26%), retinal vein occlusion (25.81%), no obvious inner retinal coagulative necrosis (19.35%), ciliary retinal artery sparing (12.90%), high macular oedema (9.68%) and cherry-red spot enlargement (3.23%). OCT revealed increased hyperreflectivity of the inner retina in 67 CRAO patients (95.71%). All 3 patients without increased hyperreflectivity of the inner retina did not present with cherry-red spots at the first visit. The median CMT in patients without cherry-red spots was 166.00 μm, while the median MCT in patients with cherry-red spots was 180.00 μm; there was no significant difference between these two groups (P = 0.467). FA showed delayed arteriovenous transit time > 23 s in 20 patients (28.57%), > 15 s in 43 patients (61.43%) and no delay in 27 patients (30.77%). The median arteriovenous transit time in patients without cherry-red spots was 19.00 s, while it was 18.00 s in patients with cherry-red spots; there was no significant difference between these two groups (P = 0.727).

Conclusions: There are multiple factors that could cause the absence of cherry-red spots in CRAO. The use of OCT to observe increased hyperreflectivity of the inner retina is the most effective imaging method for the early diagnosis of CRAO without cherry-red spots.