Valsalva Maneuver-induced Amaurosis Fugax

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To report the case of a patient with amaurosis fugax that occurred following a Valsalva maneuver. CASE SUMMARY: A 40-year-old man presented with amaurosis fugax of the right eye, which had occurred several times during the previous month. After coughing, the visual acuity of the right eye decreased temporarily during the first episode. Subsequently, any time a Valsalva maneuver, such as coughing, occurred, this symptom reappeared. Initially, this symptom persisted for five to ten minutes and occurred once or twice a day, but it gradually increased in frequency. The physical examination was normal, and his best corrected visual acuity was 20/20 bilaterally. Neither specific findings in the slit lamp examination nor abnormal findings in the fundus examination were detected. On fluorescein fundus angiography, no abnormal finding was observed before the symptom was triggered by a Valsalva maneuver, but after the symptom was triggered by coughing, the choroidal and retinal arterial phases were delayed. Hematological and neurological examinations, including magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance angiography, and cerebral angiography, were all normal. Therefore, he was diagnosed with amaurosis fugax generated by a Valsalva maneuver. CONCLUSIONS: In any patient who complains of amaurosis fugax repeatedly, as seen in this case, one must consider the possibility that it results from a Valsalva maneuver, after eliminating occlusive vascular diseases, such as carotid stenosis or atherosclerotic disease.