A Giant Unruptured Aneurysm of Distal Internal Carotid Artery Presenting with Compressive Optic Neuropathy

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To report a case of compressive optic neuropathy due to a giant unruptured aneurysm of a distal internal carotid artery. CASE SUMMARY: A 68-year-old female presented with a one-week history of visual disturbance in her left eye. The patient had no underlying disease except hypertension. Best corrected visual acuity was 20/20 in the right eye and 8/20 in the left eye. The color perception test showed abnormal findings in the left eye. Slit lamp examination showed no abnormal finding except incipient cataract in both eyes. Additionally, fundus examination showed no abnormal finding. Brain MRI and MRA revealed a 2.4 x 2.2 x 3.0-cm-sized unruptured giant aneurysm on the left internal carotid artery. CONCLUSIONS: A giant aneurysm should be considered as a cause for acute or subacute optic neuropathy in a patient with hypertension.