Central retinal vein occlusion after transplantation of the kidney

Abstract

A 47-year-old man who was treated with immunosuppressive agents after the transplantation of his kidney showed a central retinal vein occlusion in the right eye, two years after surgery. When the vein occlusion was diagnosed, high titres of cytomegalovirus (CMV) were also found. The CMV infection and the vein occlusion seem to be related for the following reasons

1. The high CMV titres in the patient's serum occurred at the same time as the development of the vein occlusion.

2. The distinct ischemic features of the optic disc with a whitish cotton wool area demonstrate similarities to ischemic regions of the retina in CMV retinitis in patients with AIDS.

3. After treatment with DHPG visual function improved.

4. The slow, progressive development of the occlusion seems to point to a viral rather than arteriosclerotic origin of the disease.

Key Words:

• central retinal vein occlusion
• cytomegalovirus infection
• transplantation of the kidney
• immunosuppressive therapy