Acute branch retinal arteriolar occlusion after intravascular ultrasound: a case report

TL;DR

A 79-year-old man developed a rare eye condition after an intravascular ultrasound procedure used to examine his coronary artery.

Contribution

This is the first reported case of acute branch retinal arteriolar occlusion following intravascular ultrasound of the coronary artery.

Findings

A patient experienced sudden vision issues after an intravascular ultrasound procedure.

Ophthalmic examination confirmed branch retinal arteriolar occlusion in the left eye.

This case highlights a rare complication of intravascular ultrasound in coronary diagnostics.

Abstract

Intravascular ultrasound is mainly used for the diagnosis and interventional treatment of coronary heart disease. Retinal artery occlusion caused by intravascular ultrasound is very rare. We report a case of acute branch retinal arteriolar occlusion after intravascular ultrasound examination of the coronary artery in a patient with coronary heart disease. A 79-year-old male patient diagnosed with coronary heart disease suddenly complained of a black shadow blocking his left eye approximately 3 min after the intravascular ultrasound examination was completed. The patient was diagnosed with branch retinal arteriolar occlusion in the left eye after completing ophthalmic examination. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of acute branch retinal arteriolar occlusion after a coronary artery intravascular ultrasound examination.

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