Roth's spot
| Roth's spot | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Litten sign |
Fundoscopy | |
Roth's spots, also known as Litten spots or the Litten sign,
Red and white retinal spots were first observed in 1872 by Swiss physician
The original retinal spots identified in 1872 were attributed to nerve-fibres that had burst. Present-day analysis shows that they can be composed of
Cause
Roth's spots occur in conditions that predispose to endothelial damage of retinal capillaries, that is when there is dysfunction and disruption of the endothelium of retinal capillaries. Looking through the microscope reveals lesions with white centers made mainly of fibrin, depicting a fibrin-platelet plug at the site of vessel damage.[2]
Associated conditions
Conditions associated with Roth's spots include:[2][1]
- Infective endocarditis
- Anaemia/thrombocytopenia
- Collagen vascular disease
- Leukemia
- Hypertensive retinopathy
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Pre-eclampsia
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus(HIV)
- Extreme hypoxia
- Shaken-baby syndrome
and also:[3]
- Candida albicans infection
- vascular diseases
- kala azar
Prevalence
Roth's spots occur in only 5% of people with infective endocarditis.[5] Litten, however reported a figure of 80%.[2]
See also
- Osler's nodes
- Janeway lesion
- Splinter haemorrhage
References
- ^ a b "What is a roth spot?". Stanford Medicine 25. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ PMID 29494053, retrieved 11 August 2019
- ^ PMID 10069798.
- PMID 7816078.
- ^ "What are the classic signs of infective endocarditis (IE)?". www.medscape.com. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
External links
- Image from the New England Journal of Medicine: Endocarditis
- Image from the New England Journal of Medicine: CML