title: Retinal vascular fractal dimension and risk of early diabetic retinopathy: A prospective study of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the prospective association of retinal vascular fractal dimension with diabetic retinopathy risk in young people with type 1 diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a hospital-based prospective study of 590 patients aged 12-20 years with type 1 diabetes free of retinopathy at baseline. All patients had seven-field retinal photographs taken of both eyes. Incident retinopathy was ascertained from retinal photographs taken at follow-up visits. Fractal dimension was measured from baseline photographs using a computer-based program following a standardized protocol.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over a mean +/- SD follow-up period of 2.9 +/- 2.0 years, 262 participants developed mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (15.0 per 100 person-years). After adjusting for age, sex, diabetes duration, A1C, and other risk factors, we found no association between retinal vascular fractal dimension and incident retinopathy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Retinal vascular fractal dimension was not associated with incident early diabetic retinopathy in this sample of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Eye Research Australia, Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Shueh Wen
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Jie J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Kim C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Donaghue
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liew
authors.forename: F M Amirul
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Islam
authors.forename: Alicia J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.forename: Tien Y
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D017709:Fractals; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D018579:Patient Selection; D010781:Photography; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
references.citation: Diabetes Care. 2005 Mar;28(3):509-13
references.pmid: 15735179
references.citation: Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 1993 Dec;231(12):681-6
references.pmid: 8299974
references.citation: Ophthalmology. 2008 Nov;115(11):1951-6
references.pmid: 18692247
references.citation: Diabetes Care. 2005 Aug;28(8):1974-80
references.pmid: 16043741
references.citation: Curr Eye Res. 1993 Dec;12(12):1103-9
references.pmid: 8137633
references.citation: Curr Eye Res. 1995 Apr;14(4):251-4
references.pmid: 7606911
references.citation: Diabetes Care. 2009 Jan;32(1):106-10
references.pmid: 18835945
references.citation: Diabetes Care. 2008 Mar;31(3):544-9
references.pmid: 18070990
references.citation: Diabetes Care. 2008 Apr;31(4):761-3
references.pmid: 18184895
references.citation: Curr Eye Res. 2002 Apr;24(4):274-80
references.pmid: 12324866
references.citation: Diabetes Care. 2008 Sep;31(9):1842-6
references.pmid: 18523143
references.citation: Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2007;2007:6456-9
references.pmid: 18003503
references.citation: Annu Rev Biomed Eng. 2004;6:427-52
references.pmid: 15255776
references.citation: Eye (Lond). 1990;4 ( Pt 1):235-41
references.pmid: 2323476
references.citation: Diabetes Care. 1997 Jan;20(1):77-80
references.pmid: 9028699