J Korean Soc Radiol.  2016 Dec;75(6):446-449. 10.3348/jksr.2016.75.6.446.

Persistent Dorsal Ophthalmic Artery Arising from the Internal Carotid Artery: Report of Three Cases

• Shin JH
• Lee GJ
• Shim JC
• Lee KE
• Kim HK
• Suh JH

• KMID: 2360431
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3348/jksr.2016.75.6.446

Abstract

Normally, the ophthalmic artery (OA) arises from the supraclinoid segment of the internal carotid artery (ICA) and enters the orbit via the optic canal. A persistent dorsal OA is a rare variation that originates from the cavernous segment of the ICA and enters the orbit via the superior orbital fissure. To the best of our knowledge, persistent dorsal OA has not been described in the Korean literature. In this paper, we report three cases of persistent dorsal OA with review of the literature on embryogenesis and other origins of the OA.

MeSH Terms

Carotid Artery, Internal*
Embryonic Development
Female
Ophthalmic Artery*
Orbit
Pregnancy

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Persistent dorsal ophthalmic artery in a 65-year-old woman. A, B. Maximum intensity projection (A) and volume rendered (B) three-dimensional time-of-flight MR angiography show a persistent dorsal ophthalmic artery (arrows) arising from the cavernous segment of the right internal carotid artery and running anterolaterally. C. Source image of MR angiography shows a persistent dorsal ophthalmic artery (arrow) entering the orbital cavity via the right superior orbital fissure and a normal ophthalmic artery (arrowhead) arising from the supraclinoid segment of the internal carotid artery and entering the orbit via the optic canal. MR = magnetic resonance

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  Fig. 2 Persistent dorsal ophthalmic artery in a 43-year-old man. A. CT angiography shows an anterior communicating artery aneurysm (arrowhead) and a persistent dorsal ophthalmic artery (arrow) running anterolaterally to the cavernous segment of the right internal carotid artery. B. Right lateral angiogram shows a persistent dorsal ophthalmic artery branching off the cavernous segment of the right internal carotid artery. CT = computed tomography

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  Fig. 3 Persistent dorsal ophthalmic artery in a 67-year-old man. A. CT angiography shows a persistent dorsal ophthalmic artery (arrow) running inferolaterally to the cavernous segment of the left internal carotid artery. B, C. Sagittal multiplanar reformatted CT images show a persistent dorsal ophthalmic artery (arrows) entering the orbit via the superior orbital fissure. CT = computed tomography

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