Central Retinal Artery Occlusion After Carotid Artery Angioplasty and Stenting in an Elderly Patient - A Case Report -

Abstract

Carotid artery angioplasty and stenting (CAS) has become increasingly accepted as an alternative therapy to carotid endarterectomy for treatment of carotid artery stenosis. Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is one of the diseases presented due to carotid artery stenosis. But CRAO without cerebral ischemia after CAS is uncommon. An 80-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with the right centrum ovale ischemic stroke and right proximal carotid artery stenosis. We performed CAS with a distal protection device after pre-ballooning 3 times, without post-ballooning. Then, 12 hours after the CAS, the patient complained of blindness in the right eye and was diagnosed with CRAO. However, Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI)showed no significant findings in the brain. CRAO after CAS without intracranial infarction is a rare complication.