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Occipital lobe infarction after open heart surgery
Journal of Clinical Neuro-Ophthalmology
|March 1, 1983
Summary
Visual loss is a common complication after cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. This case highlights how CT scans can confirm occipital lobe infarctions causing visual field defects after open heart surgery.
Area of Science:
- Neuro-ophthalmology
- Radiology
- Cardiovascular Surgery
Background:
- Cardiopulmonary bypass surgery can lead to permanent neuro-ophthalmologic complications, most commonly visual loss.
- Identifying the precise cause of visual field defects post-surgery is crucial for patient management.
Observation:
- A patient developed bilateral lower altitudinal visual field defects and blurred vision after undergoing open heart surgery.
- Initial assessments presented ambiguity regarding the origin of the visual field defects, with differential diagnoses including retina-optic nerve or occipital lobe lesions.
Findings:
- Tangent screen perimetry proved more effective than Goldman perimetry in defining the visual field defects.
- High-resolution computed tomographic (CT) scans of the occiput confirmed bilateral upper bank calcarine cortex infarctions, indicating occipital lobe lesions.
Implications:
- Occipital coronal, thin-section, high-resolution CT scans are valuable tools for diagnosing visual field defects attributed to occipital lobe pathology.
- This case underscores the importance of advanced imaging in understanding complex neuro-ophthalmologic complications following cardiac surgery.