Ophthalmic arteriography.

Abstract

Egas Moniz (1934) first described the angiographic appearance of the ophthalmic artery: “Cette artère très visible dans la plupart des films, naît de la partie antérieure du siphon carotidien pour se diriger au globe oculaire.” Angiographic observations on the normal ophthalmic artery and its branches have also been the subject of reports by Curtis (1949), Schurr (1951), Brégeat, David, Fischgold and Talairach (1952), Decker (1955), Toti (1956), and Yasargil (1957). Anatomy The ophthalmic artery is the first sizable intracranial branch of the internal carotid, emerging from the medial aspect of the latter vessel at its exit from the cavernous sinus, coursing first laterally forward and then proceeding medially and somewhat upward. At its origin, the ophthalmic artery is medial and inferior to the optic nerve; but within the optic canal the artery crosses the nerve superiorly. In the posterior part of the orbit, the main trunk of the artery is medial to the optic nerve. More anteriorly, the main arterial trunk courses in the upper and medial part of the orbit, bordering the medial and superior part of the eye. The branches of the ophthalmic artery are (see also Fig. 1): The ophthalmic artery and its branches represent a bridge of anastomotic connections between the internal and external carotids (Walsh and King, 1942; Bossi and Pisani, 1955). The most important of the branches are as follows: Lacrimal artery, anastomosing with the middle temporal and transverse facial (branches of the superficial temporal) and with the middle meningeal (a branch of the internal maxillary). Supraorbital artery, anastomosing with the frontal branch of the superficial temporal and with the homonymous artery of the opposite side. Posterior and anterior ethmoidal arteries, anastomosing with the middle meningeal and sphenopalatine, both branches of the internal maxillary. Frontal artery, one of the terminal branches of the ophthalmic; its main anastomotic connection is with the homonymous artery of the opposite side. Nasal artery, the other terminal branch of the ophthalmic, which anastomoses with the angular artery of the external maxillary (facialis) and with the homonymous artery of the opposite side. Angiographic Technic Contrast filling of the ophthalmic artery and its branches is obtained during carotid angiography (Fig. 2) and is but slightly influenced by the speed of injection or by increasing the volume or concentration of the medium. Injection into the internal carotid artery results generally in a better filling of the ophthalmic artery and its branches than is obtained via the common carotid.