Central Retinal Artery Occlusion Associated with Traumatic Internal Carotid Artery Stenosis in a Child

Abstract

A rare case of central retinal artery occlusion associated with internal carotid artery stenosis due to closed head and neck injuries is reported. A five-year-old boy was hit over the head and neck in an automobile accident. On admission, he was semicomatose and had sustained a subcutaneous hematoma in the right occipital region, face and the right side of the neck. Craniograms revealed a linear skull fracture in the occipital bone. Computed tomography did not show intracranial mass lesions but mild brain swelling. Three weeks after the injury, he complained of blurred vision in the right eye. An angiogram of the right common carotid artery disclosed right internal carotid artery stenosis. It is suggested that the central retinal artery occlusion resulted from an embolism due to thrombosis of the internal carotid artery. Traumatic thrombosis of the internal carotid artery should be considered whenever a patient who has suffered a head or neck injury exhibits progressive neurological deterioration without an intracranial hematoma.