A Quantitative Evaluation of the Posterior Segment of the Eye Using Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography in Carotid Artery Stenosis: a Pilot Study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the posterior segment of the eye using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in patients with internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prospective study enrolling 25 patients with ICA stenosis (study group) and 25 age- and gender-matched healthy individuals (control group). Macular choroidal thickness (CT) was measured at the fovea; other CT measurements were taken 1,000 mu m away from the fovea in the nasal, temporal, superior, and inferior regions by enhanceddepth imaging OCT (EDI-OCT). The thicknesses of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), macula, and ganglion cell complex (GCC) were measured with SD-OCT. Correlations between the CT values and the degree of ICA stenosis were also evaluated. RESULTS: Mean macular CT values in the study group were significantly thinner than those of the control groups for all quadrants (P < .05). There was no significant correlation between the degree of ICA stenosis and the CT values. Moreover, the mean thicknesses of the RNFL, macula, and GCC did not differ between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that CT decreases in patients with ICA stenosis compared with agematched healthy individuals, whereas the RNFL, macular, and GCC thicknesses are comparable.