Frosted Branch Angiitis; Case Series and Literature Review

Abstract

Purpose: Frosted branch angiitis (FBA) is a rare form of retinal vasculitis. Four case series and an extensive literature review of 236 cases were conducted to clarify the characteristics of this rare condition.

Methods: Case series and literature review.

Results: An analysis of the reported cases revealed that a majority (54.6%) developed FBA in the presence of an underlying disease, with recurrence and complications requiring surgical intervention being rare. The frequency of bilateral occurrence (55.0%) and prevalence in female patients (45.0%) were noted to be lower than previously reported.

Conclusion: In general, idiopathic FBAs are more likely to be bilateral and diagnosed at a younger age than secondary FBAs. In idiopathic FBA, fundus involvement is more generalized, exudates tend to be more translucent, and extensive retinal hemorrhage tends to be less frequent. However, there were no differential characteristic fundus features that clearly distinguished idiopathic FBA from secondary FBA.

Keywords: Frosted branch angiitis; frosted retinal periphlebitis; idiopathic retinal vasculitis; retinal perivascular sheath; retinal vasculitis.