Retinal artery occlusion and cerebral infarction caused by injection of hyaluronic acid: a clinical case analysis

Objective To summarize the clinical manifestations and treatment of retinal artery occlusion and cerebral infarction caused by facial injection of hyaluronic acid. Methods Fifteen cases (15 eyes) with vision lose caused by facial cosmetic injection of hyaluronic acid visited Xi＇an No.4 Hospital from December 2010 to January 2017. The clinical data were collected such as general medical history and treatment methods, and follow-up for 1 year. Results All patients were female, 22-41 years old, with average age of 33. All patients were injected with hyaluronic acid. For 8 patients the fillers were injected in the forehead, 3 patients were in the glabellar region, 3 patients were in the nasolabial fold, and 1 patient was in the temporal of left eye. All patients had vision lose after injection, the visiting time was 1 to 6 hours. 13 patients were central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO). 1 patient was retinal branch artery occlusion (BRAO), 1 patient was ischemic optic neuropathy (ION), 13 patients manifested as no light perception (NLP), 1 patient was 0.6, 1 patient was CF/30 cm, and 14 patients with cerebral infarction, manifested as headache, dizziness. All patients were given emergency treatment, and 9 patients had treated with interventional thrombolysis therapy. After treatment 11 patients, visual acuity had no significant improvement, but 4 patients improved. Headache, dizziness symptoms disappeared, but cerebral infarction lesions still existed on MRI. Conclusions Human face is a rich blood supply; vision loss and cerebral infarction could occur after injection of hyaluronic acid. After urgent treatment visual acuity is not improved obviously, eventually leading to irreversible visual impairment or even loss. Key words: Hyaluronic acid; Injections; Retinal artery occlusion; Cerebral infarction