Relationship between retinal vein occlusion and carotid artery lesions.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and carotid artery lesions.


METHODS
For patients with RVO who presented to the Ophthalmology Department of Tokyo Medical University Hospital between 2000 and 2003, carotid artery evaluation was possible on 58 eyes of 57 patients aged 51 years to 88 years (mean, 70.1 years). Thirty-nine patients (40 eyes) had central RVO (CRVO), and 18 patients (18 eyes) had branch RVO (BRVO). The observation period ranged from 6 months to 28 months (mean, 14 months). A diagnostic ultrasound device was used to detect carotid artery lesions.


RESULTS
Carotid artery lesions were detected in 19 (49%) of 39 patients with CRVO and in 4 (22%) of 18 patients with BRVO. In CRVO, 6 eyes without carotid artery lesions but no eye with carotid artery lesions had good decimal visual acuity of >or=0.8 (P < 0.05). Fluorescein angiographic findings identified a significantly (P < 0.01) higher incidence of the ischemic type in cases with carotid lesions (15 eyes; 79%) than in cases without carotid lesions (8 eyes; 40%).


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that the presence of a carotid artery lesion has a considerable association with the development and prognosis of CRVO.
Department of Ophthalmology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan. matsushima075@nifty.com
Chikage
C
Matsushima
Yoshihiro
Y
Wakabayashi
Toshihiko
T
Iwamoto
Yasuyuki
Y
Yamauchi
Masahiko
M
Usui
Takuya
T
Iwasaki
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012170:Retinal Vein Occlusion / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D014792:Visual Acuity