Associations of retinal microvascular signs and intracranial large artery disease.
OBJECTIVE
Intracranial large artery disease (ICLAD) is a major cause of ischemic stroke. Retinal microvascular changes are associated with stroke, including small vessel cerebral disease and extracranial carotid disease. We examined the relationship between ICLAD and retinal microvascular changes.


METHODS
This is a prospective cohort of 802 acute ischemic stroke patients. Retinal changes were assessed from photographs by graders masked to clinical data. ICLAD was evaluated using prespecified criteria.


RESULTS
ICLAD was not associated with ipsilateral retinal arteriolar/venular caliber, focal arteriolar narrowing, or arteriovenous nicking. Severe enhanced arteriolar light reflex was independently associated with any ICLAD (P=0.006) and severe ICLAD (P<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Enhanced arteriolar light reflex, but not retinal vessel caliber, was related to ICLAD. These data suggest that retinal microvascular signs have specific associations with large cerebral vessel disease.
Department of Neurology, Singapore General Hospital, Outram Road, Singapore 169608. gnrdsd@sgh.com.sg
Deidre A
DA
De Silva
Jennifer J F
JJ
Manzano
Fung-Peng
FP
Woon
Erica Yang
EY
Liu
Moi-Pin
MP
Lee
Hui-Yee
HY
Gan
Christopher P L H
CP
Chen
Hui-Meng
HM
Chang
Paul
P
Mitchell
Jie Jin
JJ
Wang
Richard I
RI
Lindley
Tien-Yin
TY
Wong
Meng-Cheong
MC
Wong
D000368:Aged; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020765:Intracranial Arterial Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D055806:Microvessels / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000503:physiopathology*