Ocular blood flow velocity reduction after buckling surgery.
BACKGROUND
It has been reported that scleral buckling reduces the blood flow velocity in retinal vessels. Blood flow changes may also appear in other ocular and extraocular vessels. This study describes the blood flow velocity changes in the ophthalmic artery (OA) after performing this procedure.


METHODS
The study was carried out in 12 patients (12 eyes) with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Color Doppler imaging was used to measure the peak and average blood flow velocity in the OA. Measurements were taken 1 day before and 2 days after scleral buckling surgery was performed. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured prior to each ultrasound study.


RESULTS
We found that statistically significant reductions in the peak flow velocity (33%) and average flow velocity (31%) occur in the OA after scleral buckling. All patients showed an increase in IOP after surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
Buckling surgery reduces the blood flow velocity in the OA. Since the OA is the origin of the arterial branches that supply blood to the eye, our results suggest that scleral buckling may decrease not only retinal but also choroidal blood perfusion. Some extraocular structures might also be affected.
Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
L
L
Santos
C
C
Capeans
F
F
Gonzalez
J
J
Lorenzo
J
J
Codesido
M S
MS
Salorio
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D005123:Eye / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009880:Ophthalmic Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D012591:Scleral Buckling; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color