SCIENTIFIC CORRESPONDENCE Corkscrew retinal vessels in neurofibromatosis type 1: report of 12 cases

Aim: To describe a distinctive spectrum of retinal microvascular abnormalities in 12 patients with neurofi-bromatosis type 1 (NF-1). Methods: This is an observational prospective study of the ocular fundus evaluated by direct ophthalmoscopy with or without fluorescein angiography, to investigate retinal microvascular abnormalities in 32 patients with NF-1 and in 30 control subjects. The evaluation included a complete general and neurological physical exam-ination and in some cases computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging with gadolinium-DTPA, or both. Results: The occurrence of a distinctive spectrum of retinal microvascular abnormalities is described in 12 patients with NF-1 (37.5%). At the lower end of the spectrum