Retinal Vascular Patterns in Adults with Cyanotic Congenital Heart Disease

Introduction: The purpose of this report is to describe retinal findings in adults with cyanotic congenital heart disease.Methods: Four patients, 27 to 47 years of age, with cyanotic congenital heart disease were enrolled from the Outpatient Clinic of the Ahmanson/UCLA Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center. Each patient had a medical history and physical examination by a cardiologist, chest X-ray, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, complete blood count, and arterial oxygen saturation. In addition, each patient had an ocular examination by a retina specialist, color fundus photography, and fluorescein angiography.Results: The chest X-ray, electrocardiogram, and echocardiogram were diagnostic of cyanotic congenital heart disease (Eisenmenger Syndrome). Mean systemic arterial oxygen saturation was 77% (range 71–81%) and mean hematocrit was 64.5% (range 53.7–69.5%). Eight out of eight eyes had evidence of increased retinal vascular tortuosity, but no patient had ocular symptoms, and all eyes had good visual a...