Retinal Endovascular Surgery with Tissue Plasminogen Activator Injection for Central Retinal Artery Occlusion

PURPOSE: To report 2 cases of central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) who underwent retinal endovascular surgery with injection of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) into the retinal artery and showed a remarkable improvement in visual acuity and retinal circulation. METHODS: Standard 25-G vitrectomy was performed under local anesthesia. Simultaneously, tPA (80,000 units/mL) solution was injected into the retinal artery of the optic disc for 2-3 min using a microneedle. Changes in visual acuity, fundus photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), fluorescein angiography, and laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) results were examined. RESULTS: Both cases could be treated within 12 h after the onset of CRAO. Case 1 was a 47-year-old woman. Her visual acuity improved from counting fingers before operation to 0.08 logMAR 1 month after the surgery. However, thinning of the retina at the macula was observed by OCT. Case 2 was a 70-year-old man. His visual acuity improved from counting fingers to 0.1 logMAR 2 months after the surgery. Both fluorescein angiography and LSFG showed improvement in retinal circulation after the surgery in case 2. CONCLUSIONS: Retinal endovascular surgery with injection of tPA into the retinal artery was feasible and may be a way to improve visual acuity and retinal circulation when performed in the acute phase of CRAO.