Abstract
Purpose: :
To investigate, for the first time in a clinical routine setting, the influence of internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis on ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) measurements.
Methods: :
This was a prospective cohort study. 114 eyes of 57 patients with presumed ICA were included. The degree of ICA stenosis was determined by color duplex ultrasound, OPA was measured by dynamic contour tonometry. Measurements were taken on both sides. The degree of ICA stenosis in percent and OPA measurements were correlated. In addition, the differences between the OPA measurements in both eyes of an individual were correlated with the differences of right and left ICA stenosis measurements.
Results: :
The degree of ICA stenosis and the OPA showed a significant negative correlation (pearson's r: -0.218, p = 0.020). The difference of the OPA measurements between both eyes of an individual showed a significant negative correlation with the difference between right and left ICA stenosis measurements (pearson's r: -0.530, p<0.0001).
Conclusions: :
The OPA is influenced by the hemodynamic impairment due to stenosis of the ICA and might therefore be a valuable, non invasive screening parameter for asymptomatic internal carotid artery stenosis.
Keywords: neuro-ophthalmology: diagnosis • blood supply • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: treatment/prevention assessment/controlled clinical trials