Relationship of retinal vascular caliber variation with intracranial arterial stenosis

To investigate the associations of retinal vessel parameters with intracranial arterial stenosis (ICAS) assessed by Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography.

Data on transcranial Doppler ultrasonography and quantitative retinal vessel parameters from 627 participants in a health screening program were included in this study. ICAS was defined as >50% intracranial arterial stenosis (ICAS) based on criteria modified from the stroke outcomes and neuroimaging of intracranial atherosclerosis (SONIA) trial assessed by transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography. A semi-automated computer-assisted program (Singapore I Vessel Assessment) was used to measure the retinal vascular parameters from the photographs. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify which retinal vessel parameters were associated with increased risk of ICAS.

Among 627 participants, 24 (3.8%) had ICAS diagnosed by TCD. Subjects with ICAS had eyes with wider mean central retinal artery equivalent (CRAE) and central retinal vein equivalent (CRVE) in comparison to subjects without ICAS. Men (odds ratio [OR]:13.1, 95% confidence interval: 3.13-33.33) and a large standard deviation of mean arterial width (STDWa) were associated with ICAS (first vs. third tertile: OR ratio: 14.04, 95% confidence interval: 1.71-115.32; first vs. third tertile: OR ratio: 22.1, 95% confidence interval: 2.56-190.97) after adjusting for possible confounders.

A large variation in retinal arteriolar diameter is associated with ICAS. This study suggests the possible relationship between retina vessel and early changes within the cerebrovascular network.