Central retinal artery obstruction in the presence of cilio-retinal artery

a case report

Authors

  • Facundo Nicolás Villegas National University of Córdoba image/svg+xml
  • María Agustina Boras National University of Córdoba image/svg+xml
  • Matías Osaba Servicio de Oftalmología. Instituto de la Visión Cerro. Sanatorio Allende; Argentina.
  • Carola Maffrand National University of Córdoba image/svg+xml
  • Víctor Reviglio Servicio de Oftalmología. Instituto de la Visión Cerro. Sanatorio Allende; Argentina.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70313/2718.7446.v17.n04.371

Keywords:

coagulopathy, cilioretinal artery preservation, central retinal artery occlusion, sudden vision loss, retinography

Abstract

The clinical characteristics and treatment outcome of a patient with central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) and patent cilioretinal artery are described. A 69-year-old female patient presented with a sudden, painless decrease in visual acuity in her left eye, with a five-hour onset. Fundoscopy of the left eye revealed retinal pallor in all four quadrants due to CRAO, with preservation of the papillomacular region, consistent with cilioretinal artery patency.

 

Consultations with cardiology and internal medicine were conducted, as interdisciplinary management is essential. Arterial Doppler ultrasound of the supra-aortic trunks showed a fibrous-calcific plaque with a 20% lumen reduction at the bilateral carotid bifurcation, and echocardiography indicated mild tricuspid insufficiency. Initial treatment included ocular massage and the application of topical hypotensive agents.

 

The patient’s final visual acuity was hand motion at 3 meters in the left eye (LE), without correction, and 6/10 with corrective lenses in the right eye (RE). Despite later developing rubeosis and retinal neovascularization, which required anti-VEGF treatment and retinal photocoagulation, the presence of a cilioretinal artery—present in approximately 20% of individuals—has a better prognosis as it allows macular area perfusion, though it does not prevent ocular neovascularization.

Author Biographies

Facundo Nicolás Villegas, National University of Córdoba

Servicio de Oftalmología. Hospital Nacional de Clínicas. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.

María Agustina Boras, National University of Córdoba

Servicio de Oftalmología. Hospital Nacional de Clínicas. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba; Argentina

Matías Osaba, Servicio de Oftalmología. Instituto de la Visión Cerro. Sanatorio Allende; Argentina.

Servicio de Oftalmología, Instituto de la Visión Cerro. Sanatorio Allende, Córdoba, Argentina.

Carola Maffrand, National University of Córdoba

Servicio de Oftalmología, Hospital Nacional de Clínicas. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba; Argentina

Víctor Reviglio, Servicio de Oftalmología. Instituto de la Visión Cerro. Sanatorio Allende; Argentina.

Servicio de Oftalmología, Instituto de la Visión Cerro. Sanatorio Allende, Córdoba, Argentina.

References

Berrios V, Di Luciano A. Obstrucción de la arteria central de retina con persistencia de flujo de la arteria cilioretiniana en un paciente con obstrucción embólica de arteria carótida: reporte de caso. Rev Soc Colomb Oftalmol 2017; 50 (2): 113-117.

Venkatesh R, Joshi A, Maltsev D, et al. Update on central retinal artery occlusion. Indian J Ophthalmol 2024; 72(7): 945-955. doi:10.4103/IJO.IJO_2826_23.

Salmon, John (ed). Kanski, Oftalmología clínica: un enfoque sistemático. Barcelona: Elsevier España, 2021.

Cisneros Arias PA, Bakkali-El Bakkali I, Aramburu Clavería J. Mancha roja cereza en un paciente con oclusión de la arteria central de la retina y arteria cilioretiniana permeable. Medicina Clínica Práctica 2023; 6:100350. doi:10.1016/j.mcpsp.2022.100350

Schneider M, Molnar A, Angeli O, et al. Prevalence of cilioretinal arteries: a systematic review and a prospective cross-sectional observational study. Acta Ophthalmol 2021; 99(3): e310-e318. doi:10.1111/aos.14592.

Zakaria NA, Cheng TC, Nasaruddin RA, Che Hamzah J. Neovascular glaucoma complicating central retinal artery occlusion despite cilioretinal artery sparing. Cureus 2023; 15(8): e43303. doi:10.7759/cureus.43303.

Bhatt V, Das S, Parakh S, et al. Central retinal artery occlusion with triple cilioretinal artery sparing. Cureus 2023; 15:e48157. doi:10.7759/cureus.48157.

Rufas IM, Sánchez Monroy J, Martínez Ballabriga J. Arteria ciliorretinal aberrante. Oftalmol Clin Exp 2023; 16(2): e212-e214. doi:10.70313/2718.7446.v16.n02.235.

Martínez ML, Inchauspe S, Malagrino JI. Obstrucción de arteria central de la retina: a propósito de un caso. Oftalmol Clin Exp 2016; 9(1): 31-35.

Acosta-Ortega A, Abdiel Frederick G, Yurani Anaya D, Castro Zawadzki A, Vera-Duarte GR. Oclusión de arteria central de la retina con arteria ciliorretinal permeable en una paciente embarazada. Oftalmol Clin Exp 2023; 16(1): e64-e69.

doi:10.70313/2718.7446.v16.n01.214.

Hayreh SS. Central retinal artery occlusion. Indian J Ophthalmol 2018; 66(12): 1684-1694. doi:10.4103/ijo.IJO_1446_18.

McGuire D, Calleja R, Pai E, Bahl A. Emergency department doppler assessment of a central retinal artery occlusion: case report. Clin Pract Cases Emerg Med 2024; 8(2): 115-119. doi:10.5811/cpcem.1520.

Published

2024-12-19

How to Cite

[1]
Villegas, F.N., Boras, M.A., Osaba, M., Maffrand, C. and Reviglio, V. 2024. Central retinal artery obstruction in the presence of cilio-retinal artery: a case report. Oftalmología Clínica y Experimental. 17, 4 (Dec. 2024), e590-e595. DOI:https://doi.org/10.70313/2718.7446.v17.n04.371.

Issue

Section

Casos Clínicos

Most read articles by the same author(s)