Linking Retinal Microvasculature to Silent Coronary Atherosclerosis: Insights from Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

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This study from Asan Medical Center provides compelling evidence that decreased retinal parafoveal vascular density (PFVD), as assessed by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), strongly associates with subclinical coronary artery disease (CAD) in asymptomatic individuals. The superficial capillary plexus (SCP) density offers superior predictive performance for coronary atherosclerotic burden compared to the deep capillary plexus (DCP). Incorporating PFVD metrics alongside traditional cardiovascular risk factors improves identification of obstructive and severe CAD, offering a promising adjunctive biomarker for early detection and risk stratification.

Study Background and Disease Burden