Skip Navigation



Brain Advance Access published online on November 29, 2005
Brain, doi:10.1093/brain/awh688
This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
129/1/182    most recent
awh688v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ikram, M. K.
Right arrow Articles by Jong, P. T. V. M. D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ikram, M. K.
Right arrow Articles by Jong, P. T. V. M. D.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author (2005). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Received July 1, 2005
Revised October 10, 2005
Accepted October 19, 2005

Article

Retinal vessel diameters and cerebral small vessel disease: the Rotterdam Scan Study

M. Kamran Ikram 1, Frank Jan De Jong 1, Ewoud J. Van Dijk 2, Niels D. Prins 2, Albert Hofman 1, Monique M. B. Breteler 1 *, and Paulus T. V. M. De Jong 3

1 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
3 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; The Netherlands Ophthalmic Research Institute, KNAW, The Netherlands; Department of Ophthalmology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Monique M. B. Breteler, E-mail: m.breteler{at}erasmusmc.nl


  Abstract

The direct visualization of retinal vessels provides a unique opportunity to study cerebral small vessel disease, because these vessels share many features. It was reported that persons with smaller retinal arteriolar-to-venular ratio tended to have more white matter lesions on MRI. It is unclear whether this is due to arteriolar narrowing or venular dilatation. We investigated whether smaller arteriolar or larger venular diameters or both were related to severity and progression of cerebral small vessel disease. We studied 490 persons (60-90 years) without dementia from a population-based cohort study. At baseline (1990-1993), retinal arteriolar and venular diameters were measured on digitized images of one eye of each participant. In 1995-1996, participants underwent cerebral MRI scanning. We rated the severity of periventricular white matter lesions on a 9-point scale, approximated a total subcortical white matter lesion volume (range: 0-29.5 ml) and rated the presence of lacunar infarcts. On average 3.3 years later, 279 persons had a second MRI. Changes in periventricular and subcortical white matter lesions were rated with a semi-quantitative scale, and progression was classified as no, minor and marked. An incident infarct was a new infarct on the follow-up MRI. Neither venular nor arteriolar diameters were related to the severity of cerebral small vessel disease. Larger venular diameters were, however, associated with a marked progression of cerebral small vessel disease. Age and gender adjusted odds ratios (ORs) per standard deviation increase were 1.71 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11-2.61] for periventricular, 1.72 (95% CI: 1.09-2.71) for subcortical white matter lesion progression and 1.59 (95% CI: 1.06-2.39) for incident lacunar infarcts. These associations were independent of other cardiovascular risk factors. Only the OR for incident lacunar infarcts was attenuated (1.24; 95% CI: 0.72-2.12). No association was observed between arteriolar diameters and progression of cerebral small vessel disease. In conclusion, retinal venular dilatation was related to progression of cerebral small vessel disease. The mechanisms underlying venular dilatation deserve more attention, as they may provide new clues into the pathophysiology of cerebral small vessel disease.

Keywords: population-based cohort study; retinal arteriolar and venular diameters; cerebral small vessel disease; white matter lesions; lacunar infarcts.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Am J EpidemiolHome page
K. McGeechan, G. Liew, P. Macaskill, L. Irwig, R. Klein, B. E. K. Klein, J. J. Wang, P. Mitchell, J. R. Vingerling, P. T. V. M. de Jong, et al.
Prediction of Incident Stroke Events Based on Retinal Vessel Caliber: A Systematic Review and Individual-Participant Meta-Analysis
Am. J. Epidemiol., November 1, 2009; (2009) kwp306v1.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 NeurologyHome page
F. N. Doubal, T. J. MacGillivray, P. E. Hokke, B. Dhillon, M. S. Dennis, and J. M. Wardlaw
Differences in retinal vessels support a distinct vasculopathy causing lacunar stroke
Neurology, May 19, 2009; 72(20): 1773 - 1778.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 StrokeHome page
C. S. Thompson and A. M. Hakim
Living Beyond Our Physiological Means: Small Vessel Disease of the Brain Is an Expression of a Systemic Failure in Arteriolar Function: A Unifying Hypothesis
Stroke, May 1, 2009; 40(5): e322 - e330.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurol. Neurosurg. PsychiatryHome page
F N Doubal, P E Hokke, and J M Wardlaw
Retinal microvascular abnormalities and stroke: a systematic review
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, February 1, 2009; 80(2): 158 - 165.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 StrokeHome page
S. Kaushik, J. J. Wang, T. Y. Wong, V. Flood, A. Barclay, J. Brand-Miller, and P. Mitchell
Glycemic Index, Retinal Vascular Caliber, and Stroke Mortality
Stroke, January 1, 2009; 40(1): 206 - 212.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 IOVSHome page
M. Kisilevsky, A. Mardimae, M. Slessarev, J. Han, J. Fisher, and C. Hudson
Retinal Arteriolar and Middle Cerebral Artery Responses to Combined Hypercarbic/Hyperoxic Stimuli
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., December 1, 2008; 49(12): 5503 - 5509.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 CirculationHome page
B. I. Levy, E. L. Schiffrin, J.-J. Mourad, D. Agostini, E. Vicaut, M. E. Safar, and H. A.J. Struijker-Boudier
Impaired Tissue Perfusion: A Pathology Common to Hypertension, Obesity, and Diabetes Mellitus
Circulation, August 26, 2008; 118(9): 968 - 976.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 StrokeHome page
M. L. Baker, P. J. Hand, J. J. Wang, and T. Y. Wong
Retinal Signs and Stroke: Revisiting the Link Between the Eye and Brain
Stroke, April 1, 2008; 39(4): 1371 - 1379.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 StrokeHome page
M. A. Ikram, M. W. Vernooij, A. Hofman, W. J. Niessen, A. van der Lugt, and M. M.B. Breteler
Kidney Function Is Related to Cerebral Small Vessel Disease
Stroke, January 1, 2008; 39(1): 55 - 61.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. Clin. Nutr.Home page
H. Kan, J. Stevens, G. Heiss, R. Klein, K. M Rose, and S. J London
Dietary fiber intake and retinal vascular caliber in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study
Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, December 1, 2007; 86(6): 1626 - 1632.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Diabetes CareHome page
T. T. Nguyen, J. J. Wang, and T. Y. Wong
Retinal Vascular Changes in Pre-Diabetes and Prehypertension: New findings and their research and clinical implications
Diabetes Care, October 1, 2007; 30(10): 2708 - 2715.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Eur Heart JHome page
J. J. Wang, G. Liew, R. Klein, E. Rochtchina, M. D. Knudtson, B. E.K. Klein, T. Y. Wong, G. Burlutsky, and P. Mitchell
Retinal vessel diameter and cardiovascular mortality: pooled data analysis from two older populations
Eur. Heart J., August 2, 2007; 28(16): 1984 - 1992.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Eur Heart JHome page
D. A. Duprez
The eye, the mirror of the heart
Eur. Heart J., August 2, 2007; 28(16): 1915 - 1916.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 IOVSHome page
F. J. de Jong, M. K. Ikram, D. D. G. Despriet, A. G. Uitterlinden, A. Hofman, M. M. B. Breteler, and P. T. V. M. de Jong
Complement Factor H Polymorphism, Inflammatory Mediators, and Retinal Vessel Diameters: The Rotterdam Study
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., July 1, 2007; 48(7): 3014 - 3018.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 IOVSHome page
N. Patton, A. Pattie, T. MacGillivray, T. Aslam, B. Dhillon, A. Gow, J. M. Starr, L. J. Whalley, and I. J. Deary
The Association between Retinal Vascular Network Geometry and Cognitive Ability in an Elderly Population
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., May 1, 2007; 48(5): 1995 - 2000.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.