Embolisation of Branches of the Ophthalmic Artery

Nine patients presenting various orbital and skull base pathologies embolised through the ophthalmic artery are reported. All cases were catheterised beyond the bend around the optic nerve (second portion of the in-traorbital ophthalmic artery). Embolisation was carried in all with n-butyl cyano-acrylate without post interventional visual disturbance. Relying on the classic description as well as previous personal work on the ophthalmic artery anatomy and angiographic anatomy, all procedures were performed under general anaesthesia without functional testing. The cen-tral retinal artery and the long ciliary arteries arise from the first or second portion of the oph-thalmic artery. For embryological reasons no branch to the visual tract can arise from the oph-thalmic trunk distal to the origin of the superfi-cial recurrent meningeal artery or the lacrimal artery. Therefore distal catheterisation at least be-yond the second portion, (and injection without reflux) makes safe embolisation possible in all variations of internal carotid origin of the oph-thalmic stem. Independent from the expected goal of the em-bolisation, the use of particles in this territory should in our opinion be discouraged