Ocular Complications of Carotid Arteriography in Carotid Occlusive Disease

Introduction Direct percutaneous carotid arteriography has become a well-established and relatively safe diagnostic procedure in determining the etiology and location of intracranial as well as extracranial vascular lesions. Most authors seem to agree, however, that its use risks certain complications particularly in the older patient having cerebral vascular disease, hypertension, or diabetes mellitus. These complications occur primarily in the form of either transient or permanent neurologic deficit of varying degree. Baker1mentions the statistical incidences given by several authors and reports a 20% incidence of complications in a series of 70 patients with occlusive cerebral vascular disease. The significance of such a high rate of complications naturally has to be considered in terms of degree, persistency, and so forth. Dobrak and colleagues2felt that out of a series of 38 patients over the age of 50 believed to have cerebral vascular disease and subjected to percutaneous common carotid