AMAUROSIS FUGAX – AN ALARM SIGNAL FOR CEREBRALVASCULAR ACCIDENT
Abstract:
Amaurosis fugax consists of partial or total loss of sight (temporary or short-lived),
representing quite frequently a retinal transient ischemic accident. The sudden loss of sight for seconds
or minutes maximum is a symptom which is mostly ignored and considered insignificant by the patients,
but which can have very serious consequences. Precocious tracking and the right treatment of the cause
of the disease may not only save the patient’s sight, but sometimes, even his life. In the etiology of the
disease are frequently impugned vascular factors (carotid and ophthalmic artery atherosclerosis,
atherosclerotic or cardiac embolism), homodynamic factors (diminution of the perfusion pressure in the
central artery of the retina in ipsilateral carotid stenosis with deficient collateral circulation through the
Willis polygon, retinal vasospasm), immunological and inflammatory diseases, ATH, iatrogenic causes
(CAET, carotid stenting). The diagnosis imposes, beside a detailed ophthalmologic examination,
laboratory analysis and specific cardio-vascular exploration (GKE, cardiac and cervical-cerebral
vascular Doppler ultrasound, cerebral TC/NMR with angiography sequence, angiofloralretinography,
classical angiography). The treatment (which can be drug or surgical) addresses exclusively to the
cause, fugitive amaurosis being a criterion for CAET in case of severe symptomatic carotid stenosis.
full text article in English (.EN) |