00422056

open access

Version of Record

Ultrasonographic Screening of Carotid Artery in Patients with Vascular Retinopathies

English (英語)

The Kobe journal of the medical sciences

51(1/2)

7-16

Kobe University School of Medicine

2005-06

2006-07-15

Background and Purpose: Retinal vasculopathy is commonly found with complaintof burred vision by ophthalmologist and closely related to asymptomaticcerebrovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate patients withmicrovascular retinopathy by ultrasound sonography of neck carotid artery and to findhigh risk group for stroke at outpatient of ophthalmology with associated retinopathy.Methods: Between 1999 and 2001, a total of 480 consecutive patients visited atoutpatient of ophthalmology with a complaint of burred vision were evaluated byultrasound sonography of neck carotid artery. The patients were divided to withretinopathy (n=253) and without retinopathy (n=227). The former was subgrouped asfollows; central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO; n=11), branch of retinal vein occlusion(BRVO; n=71), retinal artery occlusion (RAO; n=8), hypertensive retinopathy group-I(according to Keith, Wagener and Barker's criteria) (HTN-R I; n=43) and group-II(HTN-R II; n=42), and diabetic retinopathy (DM-R; n=78). The latter group was withvarious ophthalmological diseases, mainly inflammation of cornea, with healthy retinalvessels and constituted as the control group.Results: There was no statistically significant difference between patients withretinopathy and the control group with respect to sex distribution, nor among theretinopathy groups. Patients with retinopathy had a mean age of 68 years, while thosewith HTN-R I and II were older with a mean age of 71 years. By ultrasonography,RAO showed pathology in intima-media thickness (IMT; 1.13 ± 0.55 vs. 0.81 ± 0.26 mmin control), average number of plaques (1.88 ± 0.99), degree of stenosis of internalcarotid artery (42.4 ± 28.5 %) and common carotid artery (27.4 ± 21.3 %). Those withDM-R had the second thickest IMT (0.96 ± 0.42 mm) and the second highest quantity ofplaque (1.23 ±1.23), and the second most stenotic common carotid artery (13.1 ±17.28%).Conclusion: Moderate sclerotic changes are found in ophthalmology patients withRAO and DM-R, although the degree pathology do not indicate medical nor surgicalprophylactic treatment. Retinal vein occlusion, that has been discussed with diminishedretinal blood circulation, does not show any differences in comparison with controlgroup and ultra sonography has less value for screening of asymptomatic carotidatherosclerosis.

atherosclerotic progression

紀要論文