Open AccessRetinal vessel changes in pulmonary arterial hypertension
Author(s) -
DuPont Mariana,
Lambert Savanna,
RodriguezMartin Antonio,
Hernandez Okaeri,
Lagatuz Mark,
Yilmaz Taygan,
Foderaro Andrew,
Baird Grayson L.,
ParsonsWingerter Patricia,
Lahm Tim,
Grant Maria B.,
Ventetuolo Corey E.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
pulmonary circulation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.791
H-Index - 40
ISSN - 2045-8940
DOI - 10.1002/pul2.12035
Subject(s) - medicine , retinal , tortuosity , cardiology , vascular disease , peripheral , confidence interval , fluorescein angiography , pathology , ophthalmology , geotechnical engineering , porosity , engineering
Abstract Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is classically considered an isolated small vessel vasculopathy of the lungs with peripheral pulmonary vascular obliteration. Systemic manifestations of PAH are increasingly acknowledged, but data remain limited. We hypothesized that retinal vascular changes occur in PAH. PAH subjects underwent retinal fluorescein angiography (FA) and routine disease severity measures were collected from the medical record. FA studies were analyzed using VESsel GENerational Analysis (VESGEN), a noninvasive, user‐interactive computer software that assigns branching generation to large and small vessels. FAs from controls ( n = 8) and PAH subjects ( n = 9) were compared. The tortuosity of retinal arteries was higher in PAH subjects compared to unmatched controls (1.17, 95% confidence interval: [1.14, 1.20] in PAH vs. 1.13, 95% CI: [1.12, 1.14] in controls, p = 0.01). Venous tortuosity was higher and more variable in PAH (1.17, 95% CI: [1.14, 1.20]) compared to controls (1.13, 95% CI: [1.12, 1.15]), p = 0.02. PAH subjects without connective tissue disease had the highest degree of retinal tortuosity relative to controls (arterial, p = 0.01; venous, p = 0.03). Younger PAH subjects had greater retinal arterial tortuosity, which attenuated with age and was not observed in controls. Retinal vascular parameters correlated with some clinical measures of disease in PAH subjects. In conclusion, PAH subjects exhibit higher retinal vascular tortuosity. Retinal vascular changes may track with pulmonary vascular disease progression. Use of FA and VESGEN may facilitate early, noninvasive detection of PAH.