Meningo-Ophthalmic Artery: Imaging Features, Pathophysiology, and Clinical Significance
A Comprehensive Radiologic Review Based on State-of-the-Art Literature Introduction: Why the Meningo-Ophthalmic Artery Matters The meningo-ophthalmic artery (MOA) is a rare but critically important vascular variant that every radiologist, neurosurgeon, neurologist, and neurointerventionalist must recognize. Although often asymptomatic, failure to identify this artery—particularly during middle meningeal artery (MMA) embolization or skull base interventions—can result in irreversible visual loss . With the widespread use of CT angiography (CTA), MR angiography (MRA), and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) , the detection of subtle external carotid artery (ECA)–internal carotid artery (ICA) anastomoses has increased. Among these, the meningo-ophthalmic artery represents one of the most dangerous “hidden” variants. This column provides a comprehensive, expert-level review of the pathophysiology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, imaging characteristics, differential diagnosis...