Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is an ophthalmic emergency which leads to devastating visual function defects and poor prognosis. Though traditional conservative treatments are widely used, none of them is proved to be effective. The respective responses of brain and retinal tissues to acute ischemia share many features is the rationale for therapeutic thrombolysis in CRAO. Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) has been a therapeutic choice for CRAO since the 1960s, and in the United States, tPA is currently administered in 5.8% of patients admitted with CRAO. A number of meta-analyses and observational studies indicate intravenous thrombolysis to be beneficial in CRAO. Selective intra-arterial thrombolysis (IAT) introducing rt-PA directly into the ophthalmic circulation by super-selective microcatheterization which has the advantage of reducing the dose of rt-PA reaching the systemic circulation. It is clinically significant to study the changes in visual fields in eyes with CRAO. The short-term temporal changes (≤7-day) of VFDs and the adverse reactions in eyes with CRAO after IAT were investigated to assess the efficacy and safety of the procedure in this retrospective study.
Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is an ophthalmic emergency which leads to devastating visual function defects and poor prognosis. Though traditional conservative treatments are widely used, none of them is proved to be effective. A number of meta-analyses and observational studies indicate intravenous thrombolysis to be beneficial in CRAO. Selective intra-arterial thrombolysis (IAT) introducing rt-PA directly into the ophthalmic circulation by super-selective microcatheterization may reduce the complications such as intracranial and systemic hemorrhage. The residual visual field is significant for patients with CRAO who have poor central visual acuity. Thus, it is clinically significant to study the changes in visual fields in eyes with CRAO.