title: Retinal vessel dilation following repletion of vitamin A deficiency.
abstract: We hypothesized that because depletion of vitamin A blocks the initiation of phototransduction, such inhibition of functional activation should lead to decrease retinal metabolism and perfusion. In a case study of a vitamin A-depleted patient, we found that retinal vessel diameters, a surrogate measure of retinal perfusion, increased in concert with the restitution of electroretinographic function following vitamin A supplementation. When normalized to conditions after treatment, the relative magnitude of study parameters at presentation were: scotopic electroretinography B-wave amplitude 1.2%, photopic electroretrinography B-wave amplitude 23%, retinal vein diameter 88%, retinal artery diameter 94%. These observations support that activation of the visual process results in increased retinal metabolism and perfusion.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: N C B B
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Taarnhøj
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Spits
authors.forename: I C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Munch
authors.forename: B P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Leroy
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Klemp
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004596:Electroretinography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010477:Perfusion; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D014801:Vitamin A