Diffuse disseminated atheroembolism. Three cases with neuro-ophthalmic manifestation
J. R. Coppeto, S. Lessell, I. M. Lessell, T. P. Greco and M. S. Eisenberg
Neuro-ophthalmic manifestations led to the diagnosis of diffuse
disseminated atheroembolism (DDA) in three men whose systemic symptoms had
remained unexplained for years. The cholesterol emboli that cause DDA
originate from friable plaques in the aorta and great vessels.
Ophthalmologists should be alert to the diagnosis of DDA in patients with
elevated ESRs, stroke, transient amaurosis, or cholesterol emboli in the
fundi. Early diagnosis is important because arteriography, endarterectomy,
and anticoagulation seem to increase the risk of serious, even fatal,
embolization in these patients.
