Effects of coronary artery bypass grafting surgery on retinal vascular caliber, ocular pulse amplitude and retinal thickness measurements

Abstract

Aim: The retina and ocular vasculature are vulnerable to alterations in systemic hemodynamics, such as in open heart surgeries. Our aim was to investigate retinal vascular caliber (RVC), ocular pulse amplitude (OPA), peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and macular thickness in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery patients. Methods: Twenty-six patients who had a history of CABG surgery and 26 age-sex-matched healthy participants were recruited for this prospective, cross-sectional and comparative study. The RVC, peripapillary RNFL and macular thickness measurements were taken with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. The OPA, a surrogate of pulsatile ocular blood flow, was measured with the Pascal dynamic contour tonometer. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the CABG surgery patients and the controls with regard to RVC, OPA, peripapillary RNFL thickness and macular thickness measurements (p>0.05). Conclusions: CABG surgery does not affect retinal structures and pulsatile ocular blood flow in the long-term follow-up. © 2014 The Author(s).