Relationship between retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and aortic distensibility in peripheral arterial disease patients

Aim and objective: To evaluate the relationship between aortic distensibility (AD) and aortic stiffness B index (ASBI) with retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measured with HD-OCT in peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients. Materials and methods: Twenty-six PAD patients and 22 age-matched healthy control were enrolled. Subjects with PAD were classified into two groups. Patients with diabetes (DM) or hypertension (HT) comprised group I (n = 18) and without DM or HT comprised group II (n = 8). Color Doppler imaging was performed on all patients and PAD was diagnosed by using the ankle-brachial index (ABI). Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness values between control and PAD patients and correlations between RNFL thickness and aortic stiffness parameters (AD and ASBI) were evaluated. Results: The inferior-nasal and inferior-temporal quadrant were the thickest in healthy subjects and the PAD group. Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness significantly decreased in superior-nasal, temporal, inferior-nasal quadrants in group I than healthy subjects (p < 0.001, p = 0.005, p < 0.001). Temporal and inferior-nasal quadrant thicknesses were statistically significantly thinner in group II than controls (p = 0.02, p < 0.001). The nasal RNFL quadrant was significantly thinner in group I than group II (p = 0.014). The correlation between RNFL thickness and aortic elasticity parameters in each group was not found to be significant. Conclusion and clinical significance: Isolated PAD without DM or HT may lead to localized RNFL loss in temporal and inferior-nasal quadrants. Aortic elasticity parameters did not seem to be correlated with RNFL thickness in PAD.