Sudden, severe bilateral vision loss after coronary artery bypass grafting

Marko Popovic; Laura Donaldson; Edward A Margolin

doi:10.1136/bcr-2021-243754

Sudden, severe bilateral vision loss after coronary artery bypass grafting

BMJ Case Rep. 2021 Aug 3;14(8):e243754. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2021-243754.

Authors

Marko Popovic¹, Laura Donaldson¹, Edward A Margolin²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
² Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada edward.margolin@uhn.ca.

Abstract

We describe a rare complication of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in a young man who presented with sudden, severe, bilateral visual loss after surgery. His ophthalmological examination was non-revealing; however, MRI of the brain revealed bilateral occipital lobe infarction. His infarction was presumed to be secondary to emboli arising from surgical manipulation within the atherosclerotic ascending aorta or from a cardiogenic thrombus formed due to perioperative arrhythmia.

Keywords: neurology; ophthalmology; stroke; visual pathway.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Aorta*
Blindness / etiology
Coronary Artery Bypass* / adverse effects
Coronary Vessels
Humans
Male
Postoperative Complications