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. 2023 Sep;39(5):733-741.
doi: 10.6515/ACS.202309_39(5).20230209A.

Evaluation of Arterial Stiffness and Subfoveal Choroidal Thickness in Patients with Coronary Slow Flow

Zekeriya Dogan  1 , Cigdem Ileri  2 , Beste Ozben  1 , Murat Sunbul  1 , M Kursat Tigen  1 , Ozlem Sahin  3 , Osman Yesildag  1
Affiliations

Evaluation of Arterial Stiffness and Subfoveal Choroidal Thickness in Patients with Coronary Slow Flow

Zekeriya Dogan et al. Acta Cardiol Sin. 2023 Sep.

Abstract

Background: Coronary slow flow may not only affect the coronary arteries, but it may also be a vascular problem affecting the rest of the arterial system.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine peripheral arterial stiffness and the thickness of the choroid layer in patients with slow coronary flow.

Methods: Fifty consecutive patients (age, 54.3 ± 11.4 years, 38 male) with coronary slow flow and 25 consecutive patients (age, 50.5 ± 9.9 years, 16 male) with normal coronary arteries both documented by coronary angiography were included. Arterial stiffness parameters were measured noninvasively using a Mobil-O-Graph arteriography system. The choroidal thickness was assessed using the enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography method.

Results: The patients with coronary slow flow had significantly higher peripheral systolic blood pressure, peripheral pulse pressure, central pulse pressure, and pulse wave velocity (PWV) and significantly thinner choroidal thickness compared to the controls. Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction frame count was positively correlated with PWV (r: 0.237, p = 0.041) and negatively correlated with choroidal thickness (r: -0.249, p = 0.031). There was also a negative correlation between PWV and mean choroidal thickness (r: -0.565, p < 0.001). Linear regression analysis showed that coronary slow flow was an independent predictor of both PWV and choroidal thickness when adjusted by age and sex.

Conclusions: The acceleration of average peripheral arterial PWV with a thinning of choroidal thickness in patients with coronary slow flow may support the idea that this phenomenon may be a coronary presentation of a systemic microvascular disorder.

Keywords: Arterial stiffness; Choroidal thickness; Coronary slow flow phenomenon.

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Conflict of interest statement

All the authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Choroidal thickness measurements of a patient with coronary slow flow (up) and a control with normal coronary flow (down). Measurements were taken at three locations: subfoveal, nasal (500 μm medial to the fovea), and temporal (500 μm lateral to the fovea). BM, brunch’s membrane; CSI, choroidal-scleral interface; F, fovea; ON, optic nerve.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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