Discussion
In acute CRVO, it is necessary to evaluate the ischaemic or non-ischaemic status for subsequent treatment. ERG is a non-invasive functional test and an objective measure of retinal function, and has been demonstrated to have high sensitivity and specificity for predicting ‘ischemic CRVO’. Which ERG parameter is most useful for monitoring the ischaemic CRVO is in controversy with the previous ISCEV standard; therefore, we explored this parameter again according to the new ISCEV standard 2015 and 2022 with more detailed ERG components in this study.10 17
Earlier studies revealed that the best ERG parameter (in both photopic and scotopic ERGs) for differentiating ischaemic from non-ischaemic CRVO was the b-wave amplitude.7 18 Hayreh et al found that the b-wave amplitude was reduced to ≤60% or by >1 SD from the normal mean value, or to ≤64–69% of that in the contralateral unaffected eye, with a sensitivity of 80–90% and a specificity of 70–80% for ischaemic CRVO when single-flash photopic and scotopic ERGs were recorded.7 Then, the third criterion, the ratio between the CRVO eye and the contralateral unaffected eye was corrected to ≤60–70%.17 In our study, the significant changes in the amplitude were focused on the b-wave, including those of DA 0.01 ERG, DA 3 ERG, DA 10 ERG and LA 3 ERG, and the amplitude of DA 0.01 ERG b-wave was significantly changed within and between all groups. Only the b-wave amplitudes of DA 3 ERG and DA 10 ERG in the non-ischaemic CRVO group were unchanged, which means that they were not suitable for non-ischaemic CRVO assessment but were sensitive for ischaemic CRVO.
The ERG b-wave, which is induced by potassium efflux shunted from ‘on’ bipolar cells into the vitreous humour by the Müller cells in response to retinal illumine, is generated in the middle retinal layer in which the blood supply is provided mainly by the retinal circulation. The extent of the reduction in b-wave amplitude corresponds to the severity of ischaemia.2 The ERG a-wave is generated by photoreceptors in the outer layer of the retina, is provided by the choroidal circulation and is rarely affected by retinal vascular disorders.8 The b/a amplitude ratio is a more accurate assessment of the degree of retinal ischaemia than the b-wave amplitude alone, because the individual ERG components will be modified by multiple factors, such as preretinal or vitreous haemorrhage.19
Therefore, the b/a amplitude ratio for photopic and scotopic ERGs in the ischaemic CRVO eye was considered, because the single white flash b/a amplitude ratio was found to be the best predictor, with a sensitivity of 87.5% and specificity of 78%.8 If the ERG shows a low b/a amplitude ratio, the prognosis is guarded; if the b/a amplitude ratio is normal or higher than normal, the prognosis is more favourable. This complication of neovascular glaucoma did not develop in any patient with a b/a amplitude ratio greater than 1.19 Brown et al found that the eyes with electroretinogram b-wave amplitude reduction to ≤60% of the corresponding a-wave amplitude were at the high risk of preproliferative (ischaemic) CRVO.18 In our study, all the b/a amplitude ratios of the ischaemic CRVO eyes were significantly lower in the ischaemic CRVO group than in the contralateral unaffected eyes, but were not changed in the non-ischaemic CRVO group. Our study confirmed again that the b-wave amplitudes (reduced ≤60%), especially for DA 0.01 ERG and LA 3 ERG, and the b/a amplitude ratios for DA 3 ERG, DA 10 ERG and LA 3 ERG are especially useful ERG-based indicators of ischaemia.
Retinal ischaemia caused by CRVO may lead to reduced photoreceptor sensitivity and a delayed peak time. There is evidence that the cone peak times, especially the cone b-wave peak times in both photopic and scotopic 30 Hz flicker ERGs, could be a suitable method of identifying ocular ischaemia and constitute reasonable criteria for the prediction of neovascularisation development.20 21 It was suggested that ischaemic CRVO should be defined by a peak time of ≥37 ms in the 30 Hz flicker ERG.22 23 Kjeka et al reported that a peak time of >35.0 ms (>0.5 SD from mean) for photopic cone b-wave in 30 Hz flicker was a good indicator of ocular neovascularisation.24 Another study found that initial retinal ischaemia could be verified using the cone b-wave peak time in 30 Hz flicker ERG, with peak times of 33.7±2.4 ms in the non-ischaemic patients and 38.8±1.8 ms in patients with ischaemia.20 Among the ERG component features, we found that both the peak time and the amplitude of 30 Hz flicker ERG seem to be especially good indicators of ischaemia, with criteria of peak time ≥36 ms and amplitude ≤35% of the value from unaffected eyes.
The amplitudes of the inner retinal components of ERG, such as the DA 3 OPs and PhNR amplitudes, were predominantly affected by CRVO.12 As the most sensitive markers of ERG, OPs are reported to be a reliable quantitative method for detecting ischaemic retinal diseases in early stages, even though other ERG changes are not obvious at that time.25 The averaged OP amplitudes of the maximum responses of the full-field ERGs were significantly reduced at baseline compared with those of the contralateral unaffected eyes.12 26 We found that the ∑OP amplitude was reduced to 26.2% in ischaemic CRVO eyes and 52.1% in non-ischaemic CRVO eyes compared with that of the unaffected eyes. The ∑OP amplitudes of ischaemic CRVO eyes were 39.3% of that of non-ischaemic CRVO eyes.
Increased attention to analytical methods for OPs and measurement could be helpful in increasing ERG sensitivity to CRVO.27 28 OPs are low-amplitude, high-frequency potentials seen riding on the ascending limb of the b-wave of ERG. There are usually three main positive peaks often followed by a fourth smaller peak. Early OPs have been attributed to activity in bipolar and photoreceptor cells in the outer retina, whereas later OPs are associated with the inner retinal ganglion and amacrine cells.12 29 Recently, the individual analysis of OP1–4 instead of the merged OPs was proposed to measuring for more thorough diagnosis and analysis of patients with retinal disease.30 We found that the OP amplitude was reduced to 26.2–37.8% in ischaemic CRVO eyes and 40.0–52.1% in non-ischaemic CRVO eyes from that of unaffected eyes. The significant changes in OP amplitude were focused on OP1, OP2 and OP3 since they expressed the highest OP amplitude. The reduced OPs suggest the early involvement of amacrine cells in CRVO eyes which are thought to reflect the function of the inner and middle retina and to be sensitive to changes in retinal circulation.31 The amplitudes of OP1, OP2, OP3 and ∑OPs were reduced to 40% in the CRVO eyes compared with the controls, making OP measurement a reliable quantitative method for detecting ischaemic retinal diseases, even in early stage. No significant difference was found between the groups for OP4 amplitude, which was in accordance with Sefandarmaz’s report.27 However, Li et al suggested the amplitude of OP4 as a good measure for early detection of retinal damage in diabetic retinopathy.32 Among OP wavelets, the final OP4 physiologically shows the smallest amplitude, allowing a longer time for detection of changes compared with the other wavelets. Significantly, the peak time of OP wave was not involved, which indicated that ischaemia had little effect on it. It has been frequently observed that the alterations primarily concern wave amplitudes, while the peak times do not seem to be affected until later, when the changes have progressed further.31
In conclusion, ERG investigates the response of the entire retina and is widely used for functional assessment in retinal vein occlusion. Although the diagnosis of CRVO is mostly clinical and is usually confirmed by some imaging evidence, our proposed method by using the ERG signal may help ophthalmologists to definitively diagnose ischaemic CRVO in some equivocal cases; such information on the ischaemic severity of CRVO can inform future treatment strategies.