MO726EFFICACY OF OPHTHALMIC EXAMINATIONS FOR PREDICTING VASCULAR CALCIFICATION IN MAINTENANCE HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

Background and Aims Vascular calcification is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients, it has been reported that vascular calcification can be detected not only in coronary vessels, but also in ocular areas. Ophthalmic examinations can be used to more easily measure the degree of vascular calcification, but they are not sufficiently validated. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between ophthalmic findings and vascular calcification, and the prediction of the risk of cardiovascular disease in MHD patients. Method Thirty two MHD patients were enrolled. Conjunctival and corneal calcification (CCC) score was calculated based on the Tokuyama method, and the severity of CCC was graded between 0 and 5 by Porter and Crombie classification. The extent of invasion in the corneal limbus and center was identified using anterior ocular CT. Coronary calcium deposit was scored using CT, and cardiac function was investigated by echocardiogram. We divided the study population into three groups: mild (0-2 score), moderate (3-5 score) and severe (6-10 score) groups according to CCC scores. Results The mean coronary calcium scoring was 354.6 ± 765.8 in the mild group, 768.2 ± 594.0 in the moderate group, and 4034.9 ± 2981.0 (P<0.001). The mean extent of invasion in the corneal limbus and center was significantly higher in the severe group than in the mild and moderate groups (P<0.001). Ejection fraction and corrected calcium*phosphate were significantly higher in the severe group than in the mild and moderate groups (P<0.001 and P=0.036). The CCC score was positively associated with the coronary calcium scoring, the extent of invasion in the corneal limbus and center, and parathyroid hormone level. The extent of invasion in the corneal limbus and center was also positively associated with the coronary calcium scoring. The CCC score was only negatively associated with ejection fraction. Conclusion Our study showed that CCC score and the extent of invasion in the corneal limbus and center can predict the risk of cardiovascular disease in MHD patients.