Diagnosis of Central Retinal Artery Occlusion in the Emergency Department Using POCUS: A Case Series

• Main Authors: Nicholas Cozzi (Author), Kendall Stevens (Author), Yeoshina Pillay (Author), David Moore (Author), Matthew Flannigan (Author), Mariah Barnes (Author), Matthew Singh (Author), Melisa Gagrica (Author), Christian Kolacki (Author), Jennifer Bach (Author), Dale McNinch (Author), Drue Orwig (Author), Jeffrey Jones (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: CINQUILL Medical Publishers Inc., 2021-11-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Introduction: Central Retinal Artery Occlusion is a cause of vision loss that warrants emergent evaluation. Ocular Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) is a non-invasive, inexpensive, and rapid modality to establish diagnosis with reduced time to consultation and treatment. Methods: This was a retrospective case series of patients evaluated at seven hospitals with diagnosis of CRAO over a two-year period. All patients underwent ocular POCUS performed by an emergency medicine clinician.  Results: Nine patients were evaluated with mean vision loss of 21 hours. Overall, 88% of patients were diagnosed with CRAO, 75% possessing US confirmed retrobulbar spot sign (RBBS), and 38% confirmed diagnosis with fundoscopy. Conclusion: Ocular POCUS is an examination all emergency medicine clinicians should be able to perform. A rapid diagnosis of CRAO provides opportunity for vision improvement with initiation of treatment. The lack of guidelines for treatment of CRAO represents an opportunity for a multi-speciality collaboration to develop a diagnostic and treatment algorithm.

Item Description

10.24908/pocus.v6i2.14974
2369-8543