Abstract
Purpose: :
To investigate the associations of retina microvascular changes (including retina vessel caliber, retina vessel emboli and retinopathy) with systemic vascular risk factors in acute stroke patients
Methods: :
Consecutive 83 patients who were diagnosed as acute cerebral stroke with brain MRI at Neurology department at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital in Seoul, Korea from May, 2008 to April, 2009 were included. Retinal vascular caliber measurements were performed using a computer-assisted program, and central retinal artery equivalent (CRAE) and central retinal vein equivalent (CRVE) were summarized indices of the average retinal arteriolar and venular diameters of the eye. The presence of retina vessel emboli or retinopathy was diagnosed by retina photographs. All patients underwent clinical and laboratory examinations. Systemic risk factors of stroke assessed included hyperlipidemia, history of cardiac disease, history of smoking or hypertension, and diabetes. The subgroup analysis of acute stroke was done according to TOAST classification.
Results: :
The mean age of patients was 66 years and 42 (51%) patients were male. Retina emboli and vein occlusion and retina hemorrhages were found in 16 patients (19.6%). The mean central retinal artery equivalent was 127± 18.56µm and the mean central retinal vein equivalent was 196±27. 5µm. Retina emboli, vein occlusion and retina hemorrhage, CRAE, and CRVE did not have associations with any systemic risk factors of stroke (p>0.05). In subgroup analysis of stroke, after adjusting for age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, cardiac disease, hyperlipidemia, and smoking, cardioembolic stroke was associated with presence of cardiac disease (5.38,CI: 1.23-23.49).
Conclusions: :
Retina microvascular characteristics did not differ between subgroup analysis of stroke. Our findings suggest that the pathogenesis of stroke may have different mechanism when compared to microvascular disease in retina.
Keywords: retina • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: biostatistics/epidemiology methodology • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment