Intraarterial thrombocytic material revelative of essential thrombocytaemia in a 59‐year‐old woman

Abstract

PurposeAim: to present a case of accidentally detected thrombocitic material in retinal arteries that was revelative of essential thrombocytaemia.MethodsMaterial/methods: 59‐year‐old woman presented in July 2013 with a suspicion of intraocular tumour. The patient was asymptomatic. There was a white nodular mass in her left eye infernasally, highly reflective on ultrasound. Initial diagnosis of choroidal granuloma was made. 4 weeks later, on the next follow‐up visit, a massive thromobocytic material circulating freely in the retinal arteries and multiple yellowish lesions were detected in her both eyes. Visual acuity was not disturbed.ResultsThe patient was admitted to hospital with the suspicion of right heart failure. Apart from the high level of thromobocytes and D‐dimers no pathology was revealed. The patient was sent for further counselling and bone marrow biopsy which revealed no pathology. Few months later she was readmitted with a severe cerebral ischaemia, throbocytaemia and critical stenosis of right internal carotid artery (RICA) to 80%. Haematologic treatment was not effective and the patient died due to cerebral ischeamia in June 2014.ConclusionsThromobocytic material associated with essential thrombocytaemia might be visible in retinal vessels. This is a rare phenomenon and might be associated with a poor prognosis for the patient.