title: Impaired systemic vascular endothelial function in patients with branch retinal vein occlusion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate systemic endothelial function in patients with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven patients with BRVO (BRVO group, 8 men, 19 women; mean age, 65.4 ± 1.3), 10 patients with systemic hypertension and no other systemic or ocular disease (hypertension group, 6 men, 4 women; mean age, 70.4 ± 2.2), and 10 healthy volunteers (healthy group, 3 men, 7 women; mean age, 63.8 ± 2.1) were enrolled. We excluded patients with diabetes mellitus and current smokers. Using high-resolution ultrasonographic imaging, we evaluated the brachial artery (mm) to evaluate the flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) by measuring the diameter of the brachial artery during reperfusion after arterial occlusion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences among the three groups in age (p = 0.98), sex (p = 0.21), or the baseline diameter of the brachial artery (p = 0.11). The group-averaged FMD value decreased significantly in the BRVO group (4.6 ± 0.4%) compared to the hypertension group (8.0 ± 0.8%, p < 0.01) and the healthy group (6.9 ± 0.6%, p < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis identified lower FMD as an independent risk factor for BRVO.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggested that BRVO is associated with generalized endothelial dysfunction and that impaired systemic endothelial function may be associated with BRVO.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tanano
authors.forename: Taiji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagaoka
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sogawa
authors.forename: Tomofumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tani
authors.forename: Tsuneaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Omae
authors.forename: Seigo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakabayashi
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishibazawa
authors.forename: Akitoshi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshida
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology*; D012170:Retinal Vein Occlusion / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014664:Vasodilation