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Updated: Jul 19, 2026
Utilizing a Cranial Window to Visualize the Middle Cerebral Artery During Endothelin-1 Induced Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion
Published on: February 22, 2013
CENTRAL RETINAL ARTERY OCCLUSION AFTER SPHENOPALATINE ARTERY EMBOLIZATION: A CASE REPORT AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Henry W Zhou1, William Foulsham, Elizabeth J Rossin
1Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Purpose:
Report of a case of central retinal artery occlusion after sphenopalatine artery (SPA) embolization. A review of the literature describing complications after SPA embolization and ligation.
Methods:
Retrospective case report and literature review.
Results:
A 68-year-old woman with a history notable for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and 8 years of intermittent right-sided epistaxis previously requiring blood transfusions underwent right-sided embolization of the SPA with the neurosurgery service. Sphenopalatine artery embolization was achieved with Embosphere microspheres and Concerto coils. No thromboembolic complications were noted at the conclusion of the case. On waking from general anesthesia, the patient reported painless right-sided vision loss and was found to have best-corrected visual acuity of light perception, a relative afferent pupillary defect, and a cherry-red spot with vascular attenuation consistent with central retinal artery occlusion.
Conclusion:
Central retinal artery occlusion can be a complication of ipsilateral SPA embolization.
