Orbital varix rupture during cataract surgery.
We report a case of orbital varix rupture during cataract surgery with retrobulbar anesthesia. No remarkable changes were observed 10 minutes after retrobulbar anesthesia was administered, but a rise in intraocular and intraorbital pressure was noted about 10 minutes after phacoemulsification began. The eyelid could not be closed at the end of surgery because of severe proptosis. Follow-up by magnetic resonance imaging and color Doppler imaging revealed orbital hemorrhage and varix. Based on the time of its appearance, the hemorrhage was thought to be the result of venous congestion caused by anesthetic agent in the muscle cone. Although intermittent exophthalmos is a symptom of orbital varix, silent orbital varix should be considered when selecting the method of anesthesia for ocular surgery.
Yoshimoto
Miwako
M
Department of Ophthalmology, Tokyo Teishin Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. myoshimoto@tth-japanpost.jp
Matsumoto
Shun
S
D000368:Aged; D000772:Anesthesia, Local; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009915:Orbit / Q000098:blood supply*; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D019315:Retrobulbar Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis