CASE REPORT article
Front. Med.
Sec. Ophthalmology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1613326
This article is part of the Research TopicImaging in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Eye DiseasesView all 29 articles
Carotid Cavernous Fistula Presenting as Red Eye: Case Illustration and Comprehensive Review
Provisionally accepted
- 1Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Hangzhou, China
- 2Zhejiang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, hangzhou, China
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Carotid cavernous fistula (CCF) is a pathological condition where an abnormal connection forms between the carotid artery and the cavernous sinus. This condition can lead to a variety of ocular and neurological symptoms, often making it difficult to diagnose, especially when patients present with common ocular complaints such as red eye, which is often misdiagnosed as conjunctivitis.The subtle and diverse symptoms of CCF can lead to misdiagnosis, delaying appropriate treatment. This article reports a case of CCF that initially presented with red eye and proptosis, leading to an ophthalmology referral. By comparing pre-and postoperative ocular photographs, the article provides a detailed review of the ophthalmic features, classification, diagnostic methods, and treatment options for CCF. The aim is to enhance clinicians' understanding of this condition, improve diagnostic accuracy at initial presentation, and promote timely and effective treatment.
Keywords: Carotid cavernous fistula, Red eye, Ophthalmic manifestations, Dagnosis, Treatment
Received: 17 Apr 2025; Accepted: 30 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Qibin and Wenyan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: sheng Wenyan, Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Hangzhou, China
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