Traumatic retinal angiopathy resulting from chest compression by safety belt.

The relation between crush injuries of the chest and retinal haemorrhages and exudates has been recognized since the end of the igth century (Eales, I885). Beal (I909) and Purtscher (i9Io, 1912) also described similar fundus lesions resulting from severe head injuries. Since that time, more than a hundred cases have been reported (e.g. by Asari, I963; Caselli and Nuzzone, I957; Byrnes, I959; Madsen, I965), and the condition has been described by Duke-Elder (I954) and Klein (I963). The case described below is of interest because it followed a relatively minor compression of the chest by a seat belt of the lap-and-shoulder variety, worn by a patient driving a car when it was involved in a collision. His chest was x-rayed and showed no evidence of fracture and he was not sufficiently badly hurt to require admission to hospital. The majority of cases previously described have suffered from severe injuries of the head with fracture of the skull, or severe compression injuries such as run-over injuries by a motor or other vehicle or, in recent years, compression caused by ejection from highspeed aircraft.