title: Effects of coronary artery bypass grafting surgery on retinal vascular caliber, ocular pulse amplitude and retinal thickness measurements.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The retina and ocular vasculature are vulnerable to alterations in systemic hemodynamics, such as in open heart surgeries. Our aim was to investigate retinal vascular caliber (RVC), ocular pulse amplitude (OPA), peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and macular thickness in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-six patients who had a history of CABG surgery and 26 age-sex-matched healthy participants were recruited for this prospective, cross-sectional and comparative study. The RVC, peripapillary RNFL and macular thickness measurements were taken with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. The OPA, a surrogate of pulsatile ocular blood flow, was measured with the Pascal dynamic contour tonometer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no statistically significant differences between the CABG surgery patients and the controls with regard to RVC, OPA, peripapillary RNFL thickness and macular thickness measurements (p>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CABG surgery does not affect retinal structures and pulsatile ocular blood flow in the long-term follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey gkhanpekel@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pekel
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: I D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Kılıç
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Y I
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Alihanoğlu
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Acer
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yağcı
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Surgery Department, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Alur
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011674:Pulse; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence
keywords: coronary artery bypass grafting surgery; macular thickness; ocular pulse amplitude; peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer; retinal vascular caliber