Retinal microcirculation as a window to coronary artery disease.

Authors

Weronika Kowalczyk, Mikołaj Basza, Joanna Przybek-Skrzypecka, Łukasz Kołtowski, Jacek Szaflik, Justyna Izdebska

Published in

European journal of internal medicine. Pages 106983. Jun 17, 2026. Epub Jun 17, 2026.

Abstract

Coronary artery disease includes obstructive epicardial stenosis and ischemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries driven by microvascular dysfunction. Population screening is limited by the invasiveness and cost of current coronary tests. Retinal imaging provides accessible biomarkers that reflect both epicardial atherosclerosis and coronary microvascular dysfunction, thereby supporting risk stratification and endotype differentiation in coronary artery disease. The aim was to summarize links between retinal measures and coronary anatomy, physiology, and clinical phenotypes to inform risk assessment in cardiology. Narrative synthesis of studies linking retinal structure and perfusion (fundus metrics, OCT/OCTA vessel density in superficial/deep plexuses, foveal avascular zone, choroidal indices) with angiographic burden, functional indices of ischemia (CFR, IMR, PET-derived myocardial flow reserve), and clinical endotypes (obstructive CAD, INOCA, slow coronary flow). Retinal microvascular alterations-narrower arterioles, wider venules, and lower arteriovenous ratio-predict CAD, myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular mortality; OCT angiography frequently demonstrates reduced vessel density and enlarged FAZ correlating with stenosis burden, multivessel disease, and systemic risk profiles. In CMD/INOCA, patterns consistent with generalized microvascular dysfunction are observed, including sex-specific differences (e.g., venular calibre changes in women with microvascular angina) and associations between retinal metrics and myocardial flow abnormalities such as slow coronary flow. Retinal imaging yields accessible biomarkers reflecting systemic vascular alterations associated with both epicardial coronary atherosclerosis and coronary microvascular dysfunction and may assist risk stratification and endotype differentiation in CAD; however, clinical translation is constrained by device/segmentation heterogeneity, comorbidity confounding, small cross-sectional designs, and limited integration with quantitative coronary physiology. Standardized, multicentre longitudinal studies and AI-enhanced analytics are needed to establish prognostic value and clinical utility.

PMID:
42309944
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 18 Jun 2026.

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