Ocular findings in patients with arteriovenous malformations of the head and neck.

The hospital charts of 71 patients with congenital arteriovenous malformation of the head or neck, excluding carotid-cavernous sinus fistulas, yiedled 25 patients, referred to the ophthalmology service for examination. Of these, 22 patients had ocular findings; additionally, 12 patients with visual complaints or ocular findings were not referred for ocular examination. Forty-seven percent of all patients had ocular signs and symptoms including subjective visual complaints, visual field loss, ophthalmic artery pressure changes, nystagmus and motility findings, orbital and ocular vascular abnormalities, and fundus changes including optic atrophy, hypoxic retinopathy, and papilledema. Every patient with known or suspected arteriovenous malformation of the head or neck should have a thorough ocular examination. The findings can generally be correlated with the anatomic location and size of the lesion.