title: COMPUTER ASSISTED RETINAL VESSEL TORTUOSITY EVALUATION IN NOVEL MUTATION FABRY DISEASE: Towards New Prognostic Markers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fabry disease is a rare lysosomal storage disorder with systemic involvement. The authors report on a large Fabry family with GLA p.M187R mutation and exhaustive ophthalmologic assessment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Comprehensive systemic evaluation and genetic diagnosis were performed. Ophthalmologic evaluation included intraocular pressure/visual acuity measurement, refractometry, slit lamp examination, retinography, and optical coherence tomography. Three parameters quantified retinal vessel tortuosity: sum of angle metrics, product of angle distance, and triangular index. Calculations were semiautomatized using dedicated software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten individuals (2 males and 8 females) were described. Seventy-five percent had retinal vessel tortuosity. One hundred percent had cornea verticillata. Perimacular vessels were predominantly involved. The correlation between the right and left eye tortuosity measurements was very tight. A significant correlation between retinal vessel tortuosity and systemic severity measured by general Mainz Severity Score Index (MSSI), renal MSSI, and neurological MSSI but no cardiac MSSI was observed. Right sum of angle metrics value was an independent statistical predictor of the general-MSSI score in presence of age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  p.M187R mutation causes a severe systemic and ophthalmologic phenotype, in both male and female patients. Semiautomatic assessment of retinal vessel tortuosity is an objective and reproducible tool. All three parameters of tortuosity are closely associated with Fabry severity scores. Studies of larger series are being awaited to establish the role of retinal vessel tortuosity as a noninvasive marker of disease progression.
authors.affiliation: *Internal Medicine Department, Reina Sofía Universitary Hospital, Murcia, Spain;†Ophthalmology Department, Arrixaca Universitary Hospital, Murcia University, Murcia, Spain;‡Department of Ophthalmology, Careggi Teaching Hospital, Florence, Italy;§Department of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy; andDepartments of ¶ENT, and**Cardiology, Arrixaca Universitary Hospital, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: San Román
authors.forename: María-Elena
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Orsola
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Caporossi
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zoppetti
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sodi
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mecocci
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Juan-Ramón
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Gimeno
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; D000795:Fabry Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D011379:Prognosis; D012029:Refraction, Ocular; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014792:Visual Acuity
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers