What defines paurangiotic retinal vasculature?

• A. Short vessels directly adjacent to the optic nerve head
• B. Vessels in broad horizontal bands
• C. No blood vessels in retina
• D. Vessels extending medially and laterally

Answer: (A)

Paurangiotic retinal vasculature is defined by vessels that are short and stay close to the optic nerve head. In this pattern, the vascular network is confined to the posterior part of the retina, with vessels not extending far into the peripheral retina. This is why the best description is short vessels directly adjacent to the optic nerve head.

For context, other patterns describe vessels that spread more extensively: holangiotic vessels reach the peripheral retina, merangiotic vessels are limited to a narrower horizontal band, and avascular describes retina without vessels. The key point for paurangiotic vasculature is the proximity to the optic nerve head and the lack of wide peripheral extension.