Maculo-papillary branch retinal artery occlusions following the Wada test

Background: The Wada test induces short-term anesthesia of one hemisphere b y injection of sodium amytal into an internal carotid artery. It is an impo rtant presurgical diagnostic tool in epileptic patients. Patient: A 22-year -old man with idiopathic epilepsy noticed a shadow in the central visual fi eld of his right eye immediately following a Wada test of the right hemisph ere. Results: The patient presented with an occlusion of two small branch r etinal arteries and corresponding defects in his visual field. Fluorescence angiography revealed small dense hyperfluorescent spots within the occlude d retinal vessels. Conclusion?: Branch retinal artery occlusions are a poss ible com plication of the Wada test, possibly induced by undissolved contra st medium or sodium amytal.