Article révisé par les pairs
Résumé : In order to ascertain the first vascular lesions responsible for juvenile diabetic retinopathy, 408 fluorescein angiographies were performed in 114 diabetic children and adolescents whose diabetes became clinically apparent before the age of 14 yr. Compared with regular ophthalmoscopy, fluorescein angiography doubles the frequency of the diagnosis of incipient retinopathy. In addition to the classical diabetic lesions, fluorescein leakage are demonstrated in 50% of diabetic eyes with initial retinopathy. They probably reflect early changes in capillary permeability. They appear often before microaneurysms. Duration of diabetes as well as insufficient and poor metabolic control considerably increase the frequency of retinopathy.