Retinal Ischemic Perivascular Lesions are associated with myocardial infarction in patients with coronary artery disease.

Purpose To evaluate the association of retinal ischemic perivascular lesions (RIPLs) with myocardial infarction (MI) among patients diagnosed with coronary artery diseases (CAD). Design Retrospective cross-sectional study. Methods Consecutive patients (317 patients) with CAD who underwent macular spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) were captured. Patients with CAD who developed MI were compared to those without MI. SD-OCT were reviewed by two independent and masked graders for the presence of RIPLs. Medical records were reviewed. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between RIPLs and MI including the following covariates age, gender, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia and body mass index. Results Of 317 patients with CAD for whom OCT scans were available to study, there were 54 (17%) with a history of MI. A higher prevalence of RIPLs was observed in the MI group compared to the non-MI group (59.3% vs. 35.7%; p<0.001). Presence of RIPLs was significantly associated with MI with an odds ratio of 3 (1.91-4.74; p<0.001), after adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia and body mass index. Conclusion The presence of RIPLs, detected with SD-OCT, is significantly associated with MI in patients with CAD. These findings underscore the potential clinical utility of incorporating RIPL evaluation in the medical management of CAD.