Vasoconstriction and Impairment of Neurovascular Coupling after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: a Descriptive Analysis of Retinal Changes

AbstractImpaired cerebral autoregulation and neurovascular coupling (NVC) contribute to delayed cerebral ischemia after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Retinal vessel analysis (RVA) allows non-invasive assessment of vessel dimension and NVC hereby demonstrating a predictive value in the context of various neurovascular diseases. Using RVA as a translational approach, we aimed to assess the retinal vessels in patients with SAH. RVA was performed prospectively in 24 patients with acute SAH (group A: day 5 –14), in 11 patients 3 months after ictus (group B: day 90 ± 35), and in 35 age-matched healthy controls (group C). Data was acquired using a Retinal Vessel Analyzer (Imedos Systems UG, Jena) for examination of retinal vessel dimension and NVC using flicker-light excitation. Diameter of retina l vessels—central retinal arteriolar and venular equivalent—was significantly reduced in the acute phase (p <  0.001) with gradual improvement in group B (p <  0.05). Arterial NVC of group A was significantly impaired with diminished dilatation (p <  0.001) and reduced area under the curve (p <  0.01) when compared to group C. Group B showed persistent prolonged latency of arterial dilation (p <  0.05). Venous NVC was significantly delayed after SAH compared to group C (Ap <  0.001; Bp <  0.05). To our knowledge, this is the first clinical study to document retinal vasoconstriction and impairment of NVC in patients with SAH. Using non-invasive ...
Source: Translational Stroke Research - Category: Neurology Source Type: research