[Etiological studies on 17 cases of retinal artery occlusion and 16 cases of amaurosis fugax].

Here we present etiological studies on 17 patients (12 males, 5 females, mean age 64 +/- 13 years) with central retinal artery occlusion and branch retinal artery occlusion, and 16 patients (8 males, 8 females, mean age 62 +/- 13 years) with amaurosis fugax who were admitted to our hospital between April 1993 and May 1997. In all patients, carotid ultrasonography and cerebral angiography were performed to clarify the extent of carotid artery disease ipsilateral to the retinal artery occlusion and amaurosis fugax. All patients had clinical assessment of cardiac function and electrocardiogram, and most patients had transthoracic echocardiography, and transesophageal echocardiography as they were required. Arterial stenosis over 50% of the diameter, and occlusion of the internal carotid artery ipsilateral to symptomatic eye were more frequent in retinal artery occlusion than in amaurosis fugax. Two patients with retinal artery occlusion had transient atrial fibrillation, and one had patent foramen ovale with atrial septal aneurysm. One patient with amaurosis fugax had transient atrial fibrillation, and another patient had mechanical prosthetic heart valve. Two patients had antiphospholipid antibody, and one had dysfibrinogenemia. We recommended to investigate internal carotid artery in the patients with retinal artery occlusion, because occlusive disease ipsilateral to the symptomatic eye is more frequent and severe in retinal artery occlusion than in the cases of amaurosis fugax.