Delineation of the central retinal artery using computed tomography: a pilot study

Purpose The prospective study aimed to examine the central retinal artery (CRA) using computed tomography (CT). Materials and methods Seventy adult outpatients comprising 32 men and 38 women, at a mean age of 60.6 ± 13.3 years, were enrolled in the study. The patients underwent contrast-enhanced CT. The scan timing was set to start 5.0 s after the circle of Willis began to be delineated. Results The ophthalmic arteries (OphAs) were comfortably delineated in all. In 97% of the patients, the CRA was delineated from the original site on the OphA to a more distal segment coursing on the optic sheath. Unilateral and bilateral CRA delineations were observed in 44% and 53% of cases, respectively. The delineated CRAs demonstrated highly variable morphologies in terms of the course and length on the optic sheath. In addition, the distance between the original site of the CRA and the posterior limit of the bulb was measured. The mean distance was 18.6 ± 5.0 mm on the right and 17.8 ± 4.3 mm on the left, respectively. No significant right-to-left differences in the measurements ( p > 0.05) were observed. Conclusions If optimal scan timing is adopted, the CRA segments coursing on the optic sheath can be delineated using contrast-enhanced CT. CT may be a useful diagnostic modality for the CRAs and associated pathological conditions.