Intracranial arterial calcification and ectasia in visual failure

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Vascular Neurology
• Ophthalmology

Background:

• Calcification of intracranial arteries, especially the carotid siphon, is common and linked to glaucoma.
• Carotid siphon ectasia is also suspected to cause optic neuropathy.
• High-resolution computed tomography (CT) is used to assess anterior visual pathway pathology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the prevalence and severity of calcification and ectasia in major intracranial arteries.
• To determine the association of these arterial changes with age, sex, and race.
• To investigate the correlation between arterial calcification/ectasia and visual or neurological deficits.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 153 patients who underwent high-resolution CT of the orbits and parasellar region.
• Assessment of the presence and severity of calcification and ectasia in major intracranial arteries.
• Analysis of correlations with patient demographics and clinical findings.

Main Results:

• Carotid siphon calcification was highly prevalent, increasing with age, and independent of sex or race.
• Calcification was rare in anterior cerebral, middle cerebral, and basilar arteries across all age groups.
• Ectasia increased with age and was more common in carotid and basilar arteries than anterior and middle cerebral arteries.
• No correlation was found between the degree of calcification or ectasia and ophthalmological or neurological deficits.

Conclusions:

• Carotid siphon calcification and ectasia are age-dependent findings.
• These vascular changes, while common, do not appear to correlate with visual or neurological impairment in the studied population.