RETINAL VASCULAR INVOLVEMENT IN ACUTE TOXOPLASMIC RETINOCHOROIDITIS

The present study deals with the retinal vascular involvement in 64 pa tients with toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis during the acute phase of th e disease and its evolution. Vascular involvement was noted in all 64 eyes during the acute phase of the disease. In 59 (92%) out of 64 case s the vascular involvement was located in the same retinal quadrant as the active toxoplasmic lesion. In the remaining 5 eyes (8%) the vascu lar participation was found in all four retinal quadrants. In 3 (5%) o ut of 64 cases, the vascular infiltration was extremely severe and res ulted in retinal vascular obstruction. In all three cases the vessel t raversed the active toxoplasmic lesion. In 35 (55%) out of 64 patients the initial vascular picture changed in the course of the acute phase of the disease. In these patients, the lesions had extended to the ad jacent vessels or to other parts of the involved vessel. In the furthe r course of the evolution of the active toxoplasmic lesion, the vascul ar involvement did not persist indiscriminately. It was noted that in 14 (22%) out of 64 cases the vascular lesions gradually regressed and eventually disappeared together with the active toxoplasmic lesion and the formation of the retinochoroidal scar. In the remaining 50 (78%) out of 64 cases the vascular involvement either disappeared after the establishment of the retinochoroidal scar in 3-12 months (29 cases) or remained permanently (21 cases).