Central retinal vein occlusion and sudden deafness : a possible common pathogenesis

A 31-year-old woman complained of blurred vision in the right eye due to a well-perfused central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and two months later, of sudden deafness (SD) in her right ear. Her visual acuity and hearing recovered almost completely within a few months. Medical evaluation disclosed the combination of slight coagulation abnormalities (moderate decrease in protein S, slightly elevated lipoprotein (a)), and elevated fibrinogen, with plasma hyperviscosity. The occurrence of CRVO then SD suggests that the same underlying conditions can be considered as risk factors for both diseases and shows up some similarities in the pathogenesis of these acute impairments of microvascular blood flow in the retina and the cochlea.