Corneal nerve loss as a surrogate marker for poor pial collaterals in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • In patients with acute ischemic stroke, pial collaterals play a key role in limiting neurological disability by maintaining blood flow to ischemic penumbra. We hypothesized that patient with poor pial collaterals will have greater corneal nerve and endothelial cell abnormalities. In a cross-sectional study, 35 patients with acute ischemic stroke secondary to middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion with poor (n = 12) and moderate-good (n = 23) pial collaterals and 35 healthy controls underwent corneal confocal microscopy and quantification of corneal nerve and endothelial cell morphology. In patients with MCA stroke, corneal nerve fibre length (CNFL) (P < 0.001), corneal nerve fibre density (CNFD) (P = 0.025) and corneal nerve branch density (CNBD) (P = 0.002) were lower compared to controls. Age, BMI, cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, systolic blood pressure, NIHSS and endothelial cell parameters did not differ but mRS was higher (p = 0.023) and CNFL (p = 0.026) and CNBD (p = 0.044) were lower in patients with poor compared to moderate-good collaterals. CNFL and CNBD distinguished subjects with poor from moderate-good pial collaterals with an AUC of 72% (95% CI 53-92%) and 71% (95% CI 53-90%), respectively. Corneal nerve loss is greater in patients with poor compared to moderate-good pial collaterals and may act as a surrogate marker for pial collateral status in patients with ischemic stroke.

publication date

  • October 5, 2021

Research

keywords

  • Biomarkers
  • Cerebrovascular Circulation
  • Collateral Circulation
  • Cornea
  • Ischemic Stroke

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC8492683

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 85116316972

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.cmpb.2018.03.015

PubMed ID

  • 34611233

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 11

issue

  • 1