Comparison of two transducers for color Doppler imaging of the retrobulbar vessels.
OBJECTIVE
To compare blood flow velocity measurements obtained with two different linear probes (7.5 MHz and 12 MHz).


METHODS
CDI measurements were performed in 31 eyes of 19 individuals with a 12 MHz and a 7.5 MHz probe. Measurements were taken in the ophthalmic artery (OA), central retinal artery (CRA), temporal short posterior ciliary arteries (TSPCA), and nasal short posterior ciliary arteries (NSPCA). With each probe, three measurements of each vessel were obtained, and end-diastolic velocity (EDV), peak systolic velocity (PSV), and resistance index (RI) were calculated.


RESULTS
For EDV, the variation among replicates with the 7.5 MHz probe was between 13.99% and 19.51% and with the 12 MHz probe between 15.40% and 23.17%. For PSV, the variation among replicates was between 5.16% and 9.98% and between 6.58% and 10.71%, respectively with each probe. For RI, the variation among the replicates was between 3.10% and 8.97% and between 3.93% and 10.16%, respectively with each probe. The variation between probes was between 15.02% and 23.07% for EDV, between 10.72% and 13.24% for PSV, and between 4.27% and 6.05% for RI. The difference between estimated means was only significant for EDV in the TSPCA (P = 0.019), PSV in the TSPCA (P = 0.0002), as well as NSPCA (P = 0.003) and RI in the CRA (P < 0.001) and NSPCA (P < 0.044).


CONCLUSIONS
The observed variation among three measurements is similar with both the 7.5 MHz and the 12 MHz probes. However, the 7.5 MHz probe tends to measure slightly higher values for some parameters.
Boehm
Andreas G
AG
Glaucoma Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0946, USA.
Helmke
Knut
K
Berry
Charles C
CC
Weinreb
Robert N
RN
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D019842:Ciliary Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005123:Eye / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009798:Ocular Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology; D009880:Ophthalmic Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012161:Retinal Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014159:Transducers; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods*