Central Retinal Artery Visualization with Cone-Beam CT Angiography.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Radiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Existing imaging techniques struggle to visualize the entire retrobulbar course of retinal and ciliary vessels in vivo.
• There is a need for reliable in vivo imaging of the retrobulbar vasculature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and characterize the central retinal artery (CRA) using cone-beam CT (CBCT).
• To evaluate CBCT's utility for visualizing the CRA's retrobulbar course.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of CBCT angiography data from patients undergoing cerebral angiography.
• Data included orbits within the field of view, postprocessed to 0.2 mm resolution.
• Evaluated CRA origin, course, optic nerve penetration, bifurcation, variants, and central retinal vein visualization.

Main Results:

• The central retinal artery (CRA) was identified in all 24 visualized orbits.
• CRA origin, course, optic nerve penetration, and termination were consistently visualized.
• The central retinal vein was visualized in 6 of 24 orbits.

Conclusions:

• Cone-beam CT (CBCT) reliably demonstrates the in vivo central retinal artery.
• CBCT shows significant potential for various diagnostic and therapeutic applications in ophthalmology.