Radiographic Comparison of Carotid Anatomy in Patients Who Experienced Retinal versus Middle Cerebral Artery Emboli

Emboli that arise from or pass through the carotid arteries can cause transient or permanent monocular blindness or dysfunction secondary to middle cerebral artery occlusion. A substantial foundation of literature has revealed that there is a lowered risk of developing ipsilateral hemispheric strokes in patients who initially experienced transient or permanent ipsilateral blindness. This difference in risk plausibly is secondary to differences in vascular anatomy. This study was designed to assess potentially relevant anatomical features of the carotid siphon in patients who were clinically evaluated by our service for monocular blindness or middle cerebral artery infarctions.