title: [Are there differences between internal carotid artery and aortic arch plaques among patients with retinal artery occlusion and anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy?].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Retinal artery occlusion (RAO) and non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION) cause painless vision deterioration and visual field defects. Associations with arteriosclerotic risk factors, hyperhomocysteinaemia, hyperfibrinogenaemia and plaques of the internal carotid artery are well kown. Results of transoesophageal echocardiography with respect to plaques in the aortic arch and duplex sonography of the internal carotid artery were evaluated and a statistical analysis was performed.
  
  
  METHODS
  110 patients with RAO and 49 patients with NAION were retrospectively analysed. Statistical significant differences were analysed with the Mann-Whitney test (U test) using SPSS 13.0 (IBM).
  
  
  RESULTS
  RAO patients have statistically significantly more often plaques in the aortic arch, medium-sized plaques of the internal carotid artery, a history of stroke and hyperhomocysteinaemia. NAION patients have statistically significantly more often small plaques of the internal carotid artery. All other parameters do not show statistically significant differences between both diseases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RAO patients have a higher median age and seem to have more often arteriosclerotic plaques in the aortic arch and larger plaques in the internal carotid artery than NAION patients, although both diseases show comparable associations with arteriosclerotic risk factors.
authors.affiliation: Augenabteilung, Hanusch-Krankenhaus, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leisser
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001317:Austria / Q000453:epidemiology; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015984:Causality; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018917:Optic Neuropathy, Ischemic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D015356:Retinal Artery Occlusion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data