EVALUATION OF RETINAL ARTERIOLES IN RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA: Arterial Lumen Diameter Reduced With Retinal Degeneration and Wall Thickness Related to Systemic Condition.

PURPOSE: Retinal arterioles are attenuated in eyes with retinitis pigmentosa, but dimensions such as lumen diameter and wall thickness have not been thoroughly investigated. The aim of the study was to determine the dimensions of reduced retinal arterioles in eyes with retinitis pigmentosa.

METHODS

The study included 66 patients with retinitis pigmentosa (66 eyes) and 36 control participants (36 eyes) for whom adaptive optics recordings of the retinal arteries were available. Lumen diameter and wall thickness were measured on the adaptive optics images. The correlations between arteriole dimensions and clinical parameters were determined.

RESULTS

The mean lumen diameter was significantly smaller in patients with retinitis pigmentosa than in controls, while the mean wall thickness did not differ significantly. Lumen diameter was significantly and positively correlated with the mean deviation of the Humphrey 10-2 field analyzer and ellipsoid zone width. The wall thickness and wall-to-lumen ratio were significantly and positively correlated with age and systolic blood pressure but not with mean deviation and ellipsoid zone width.

CONCLUSION

Retinal arteriole dimensions were significantly correlated with retinal degeneration and systemic factors.