title: Retrobulbar anesthesia and retinal vascular obstruction.
abstract: The cases of three patients who developed combined central retinal artery/vein obstruction secondary to retrobulbar anesthesia are presented. In one case the obstruction was presumably present immediately after surgery, while in the other two it was observed to evolve over a period of several days. A dilated optic nerve sheath was demonstrated by contact B-scan ultrasonography in two cases and by computerized tomography in the third case, suggesting intravaginal sheath hemorrhage as a common underlying pathophysiologic process. Partial return of vision was evident in the latter case following orbitotomy with optic nerve sheath decompression.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000772:Anesthesia, Local / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D005260:Female; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000601:surgery; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D012171:Retinal Vessels; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed