Retinal arterial occlusion due to embolism of suspected cardiac tumors -- report on two patients and review of the topic.
BACKGROUND
Ophthalmic complications due to heart tumors are rare.


METHODS
This case report describes two patients with ocular complications, caused by a suspected cardiac tumor. A 56-year-old woman with arterial hypertension had a severe episode of headache coinciding with an acute loss of vision in her right eye and left-sided hemiparesis. A 20-year-old woman noticed sudden transient visual loss in her right eye.


RESULTS
The 56-year-old woman had an infarction on the right side of the middle and posterior cerebral arteries and, simultaneously, a central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) in her right eye. Echocardiography revealed a tumor in the left atrium. The tumor disappeared after treatment with phenprocoumon within a few days. The diagnosis of a cardiac thrombus was made. The 20-year-old woman noticed recurrent episodes of sudden, transient visual loss in her right eye. A branch retinal arterial occlusion (BRAO) in her right eye was diagnosed. Echocardiography revealed a myxoma in the left atrium. The tumor was successfully excised surgically.


CONCLUSIONS
In any vascular disturbance in the eye suspected to be embolic in origin, echocardiography should be carried out in order to exclude the presence of a heart disease.
Schmidt
Dieter
D
Universitäts-Augenklinik, Killianstr. 5, D-79106 Freiburg, Germany. Dieter.Schmidt@uniklinik-freiburg.de
Hetzel
A
A
Geibel-Zehender
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000473:pathology; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009232:Myxoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D010644:Phenprocoumon / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015356:Retinal Artery Occlusion / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000925:Anticoagulants; D010644:Phenprocoumon