Ophthalmic Artery Morphological and Hemodynamic Features in Acute Coronary Syndrome

To examine the morphological and hemodynamic changes of the ophthalmic artery (OA) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

This cross-sectional observational study included 31 patients with ACS and 10 healthy controls (HCs). The ACS subgroups were ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI; n = 10), non-STEMI (n = 10), and unstable angina (n = 11). OA three-dimensional (3D) models were reconstructed based on computed tomographic angiography, and morphological aspects of the OA were measured quantitatively. Moreover, numerical simulation by computational fluid dynamics was used to obtain hemodynamic information of the OA.

The study reconstructed 41 OA models. Hemodynamic simulation revealed a significant decrease in OA blood velocity in patients with ACS compared with the HCs (median velocity, 0.046 vs. 0.147 m/s; P < 0.001). No differences in the morphological data for the OA were observed. Also, no differences in the mass flow ratio of OA to the ipsilateral internal carotid artery was found. Similar differences were observed between the ACS subgroups and HCs. OA blood velocity was negatively correlated with body mass index, abdominal circumference, left ventricular ejection fraction, and triacylglycerol and was positively correlated with early to late transmitral flow velocity, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, serum creatinine, and potassium.

The initial OA blood velocity was slower in patients with ACS and was associated with ACS-related clinical parameters. To our knowledge, this is the first study to analyze OA characteristics in ACS using 3D model reconstruction and hemodynamic simulation, providing new perspectives on the relationship between ischemic heart disease and ocular manifestations.