Unilateral hemi-central retinal artery occlusion as a presenting sign of Susac syndrome

TL;DR

A young woman's sudden vision loss and other symptoms led to a diagnosis of Susac syndrome, highlighting a rare eye condition as an early sign.

Contribution

The paper presents unilateral hemi-central retinal artery occlusion as a novel and atypical sign of Susac syndrome.

Findings

Early diagnosis and treatment improved the patient's vision and symptoms.

Hemi-central retinal artery occlusion is a rare but important sign of Susac syndrome.

Neuroimaging and ophthalmological evaluation are crucial for timely diagnosis.

Abstract

A young woman presented at our clinic with sudden visual loss in the right eye, recurrent
vertigo, and right-sided tinnitus. We performed a complete ophthalmological evaluation.
This revealed effects of the condition on the small arterioles of the peripheral retina.
Susac syndrome is characterized by the clinical triad of retinal arteriolar occlusions,
cochleovestibular manifestations, and encephalopathy (which can be identified by
neuroimaging abnormalities). Early diagnosis and immunosuppressive therapy improved the
patient's visual acuity and the remission of her other symptoms. Hemi-central retinal
artery occlusion is an atypical neuro-ophthalmological finding in this disease. However,
its identification as a sign of Susac syndrome may facilitate timely diagnosis and
accurate treatment.

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