Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42701723›Full record

ArticleCureus2026

Optic Nerve Head Cotton Wool Spots Mimicking Inflammatory Optic Neuropathy in Central Retinal Vein Occlusion.

Carolina A Jimenez Soto, Ninel L Gregori, Byron L Lam, Mariam Vila-Delgado, Luma Al-Attar

Abstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Carolina A Jimenez SotoSchool of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, USA.
Ninel L GregoriOphthalmology, University of Miami, Miami, USA.
Byron L LamOphthalmology, University of Miami, Miami, USA.
Mariam Vila-DelgadoOphthalmology, University of Miami, Miami, USA.
Luma Al-AttarOphthalmology, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) typically presents with optic disc edema, venous dilation, and widespread retinal hemorrhages; however, atypical optic nerve head findings can mimic neuro-inflammatory or infiltrative disease, posing a diagnostic challenge. We report a 67-year-old woman with diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia who presented for routine evaluation without visual symptoms and was found to have non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy bilaterally and clinical signs of non-ischemic CRVO in the left eye, including optic disc edema, hyperemia, and intraretinal hemorrhages. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) demonstrated mild macular thickening, and fluorescein angiography (FA) showed scattered hyperfluorescent foci with minimal leakage. Two months after intravitreal faricimab injection, macular edema resolved and visual acuity improved; however, as disc edema subsided, new large whitish nodular lesions emerged on the optic nerve head inferiorly, nasally, and superiorly, corresponding to hyperreflective deposits on OCT. Given the atypical appearance, brain and orbits MRI with contrast, lumbar puncture, and infectious and inflammatory laboratory testing were performed, all of which were unremarkable, with no evidence of infiltrative, demyelinating, or vasculitic disease. Repeat FA revealed no vessel wall staining or leakage to suggest retinal vasculitis. The nodular optic nerve lesions were ultimately determined to be prominent cotton wool spots (CWS) associated with CRVO, presenting in an unusual peripapillary distribution that spared the maculopapillary bundle, consistent with localized inner retinal ischemia and disruption of axoplasmic transport. The lesions resolved over several months without development of optic atrophy or collateral vessels, and final visual acuity returned to 20/20 with normal visual fields. This case highlights that large CWS on the optic nerve head in non-ischemic CRVO can closely mimic neuro-inflammatory or infiltrative processes and that multimodal imaging combined with multidisciplinary evaluation is essential to avoid misdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment.

Indexed as

central retinal vein occlusion (crvo)cotton wool spotoct (optical coherence tomography)optic nerveoptic nerve infiltration

Identifiers

PMID42701723
PMCPMC13546110

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