Retinal blood flow indices in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus.
OBJECTIVE
Abnormal blood flow dynamics are believed to contribute to the development of retinal microvascular disease in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In this study, the scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) was used, combined with fluorescein angiography, to measure retinal blood flow indices in HIV seropositive patients.


METHODS
Arteriovenous passage time (AVP) and perifoveal capillary blood flow velocity (CFV) were measured in 23 HIV infected patients and 23 control subjects with SLO fluorescein angiography.


RESULTS
No significant difference in AVP was found between the two groups. However, CFV was significantly reduced in HIV infected patients (p = 0.013).


CONCLUSIONS
Patients infected with HIV show abnormal haemodynamics at the level of the perifoveal capillaries.
Yung
C W
CW
Department of Ophthalmology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA.
Harris
A
A
Massicotte
S
S
Chioran
G
G
Krombach
G
G
Danis
R
R
Wolf
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000502:physiology*; D016037:Single-Blind Method