Background and Objectives: To document, through multimodal imaging, the post-procedural clinical course and visual outcome of a patient who received intra-arterial tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for acute iatrogenic branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO), and to review the literature and guidelines regarding the use of tPA for retinal arterial occlusions. Methods: A 28-year-old female patient who sustained an iatrogenic BRAO and subsequently received intra-arterial tPA was followed through her post-interventional course of 3 months with serial exams and multimodal imaging, including color fundus photography, visual field testing, spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and OCT angiography (OCT-A). Results: A patient with history of left internal cerebral artery (ICA) aneurysm and baseline visual acuity (VA) of 20/20 developed an acutely symptomatic BRAO after undergoing a neuroendovascular procedure and was acutely treated with tPA through the left ophthalmic artery. At two weeks follow-up, a central posterior pole hemorrhage was noted although VA was preserved. A superior altitudinal defect was shown on automated perimetry. VA dropped to 20/50 at 7 weeks follow-up and hyperreflective material deep to the attachment between the posterior hyaloid and the internal limiting membrane (ILM) consistent with hemorrhage was noted on SD-OCT. At 11 weeks follow-up, VA returned to 20/20, SD-OCT revealed a membrane bridging the foveal depression, OCT-A showed decreased vascularity in the inferior macula, and the visual field defect was stable by automated perimetry. Conclusions: Intraocular hemorrhage is a possible complication of intra-arterial tPA administration for BRAO, and a careful analysis of risks, benefits, and goals of this procedure must be considered by both provider and patient before such intervention.
In vivo identification of alteration of inner neurosensory layers in branch retinal artery occlusion
