Open AccessCorkscrewing of retinal arterioles leading to diagnosis of coarctation of aorta
Author(s) -
Abdul Rafi Shaik,
Kiran Kumar,
Pudi Chiranjeevi,
Khader Shameer
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of postgraduate medicine/journal of postgraduate medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.405
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 0972-2823
pISSN - 0022-3859
DOI - 10.4103/jpgm.jpgm_137_18
Subject(s) - medicine , fundus (uterus) , hypertensive retinopathy , retinal , ophthalmology , coarctation of the aorta , blood pressure , physical examination , cardiology , ophthalmoscopy , retinopathy , aorta , diabetes mellitus , endocrinology
Coarctation of aorta (CoA) usually leads to elevation of blood pressure above the site of obstruction and this elevated blood pressure probably gets transferred and is reflected in the retinal arterioles producing certain signs of hypertensive retinopathy. Fundus examination helps in differentiating hypertension due to CoA from other causes of juvenile hypertension, as corkscrewing of retinal arterioles is seen only in CoA but not in other conditions. A 16 year hypertensive male who was on antihypertensive treatment presented for routine checkup. On examination his visual acuity was 6/6 in both eyes. Funduscopy of both eyes revealed a normal optic disc with generalised narrowing of arterioles and broadened light reflex. The arterioles showed corkscrew tortuosity (U shaped arterioles). Based on the fundus findings, CoA was suspected and the patient was referred for cardiac evaluation. Echocardiogram revealed post ductal CoA. In juvenile hypertension, careful examination of the fundus can provide a clue to the systemic diagnosis and this case highlights the importance of ophthalmoscopic examination in diagnosing a potentially fatal systemic disease.