CLINICAL-SIGNIFICANCE OF THE OPHTHALMIC ARTERY IN CAROTID-ARTERY DISEASE

A total of 141 subjects with tight stenosis (greater than or equal to 75%) or occlusion of internal carotid artery were followed up at inter vals 3-6 months regularly for 40 +/- 16 months. The direction of ophth almic artery flow was used as a parameter of risk indicator on cerebra l ischemic events. Eleven patients with bilateral carotid tight stenos is/occlusion were excluded in the analysis. Thus, the 130 carotid arte ries were divided into three groups: (1) carotid artery with ipsilater al hemispheric TIA or stroke (85 patients), (2) carotid arteries with contralateral hemispheric TIA/stroke or VBI (15 patients), and (3) car otid arteries of asymptomatic patients (30 patients). The symptomatic carotid artery group (group 1) had significantly more often reversed o phthalmic flow than the other two groups (group 2 and 3, p<0.001). Dur ing follow-up prospectively for four years, 41 patients had cerebral i schemic events, three had cardiac ischemic events and six died of mali gnancy. Patients with reversed OA flow had more often subsequent cereb ral ischemic events than those with forward how (27 vs 14, p = 0.010). However, the difference remained significant only in the asymptomatic patients (group 3, 4 vs 0, P<0.001), not for groups 1 and 2, after fu rther analysis. Our work supported that the clinical role of ophthalmi c artery collateral varied between asymptomatic and symptomatic patien ts.