Evaluating pulsatile ocular blood flow analysis in normal and treated glaucomatous eyes.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate pulsatile ocular blood flow (POBF) analysis in normal subjects and glaucoma patients by comparison of POBF measurements with functional (as determined by visual field [VF]) and structural (as determined by optical coherence tomography [OCT]) measures.


METHODS
Prospective, cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Forty-one eyes of 24 consecutive glaucoma patients and 20 eyes of 10 healthy subjects were studied; POBF analysis was performed on all subjects at the same visit as VF testing and OCT retinal nerve fiber layer (NFL) thickness measurement. The mean results of normal and glaucomatous eyes were compared for each method. Correlation between measurements obtained with each modality and the discriminating power using receiver operator characteristic curves was tested.


RESULTS
The mean POBF (standard deviation [SD]) in the normal group was 1,010.4 (292.8) microl/min and 989.3 (305.5) microl/min in the glaucoma group (P =.90). Significant differences between groups were found for VF mean deviation and pattern standard deviation (P =.02, P =.004, respectively) and OCT mean NFL thickness (P <.0001). No correlation was found between POBF parameters and intraocular pressure, VF, or OCT variables except for intraocular pressure in glaucoma group (r = -.43, P =.003). The area under the receiver operator characteristic curves was higher for VF indexes and OCT mean NFL thickness than POBF parameters for distinguishing between normal and glaucomatous eyes.


CONCLUSIONS
The wide range of normal values and the low discriminating power of POBF between normal and glaucomatous eyes limits the clinical use of the device for glaucoma patients.
Aydin
Ali
A
New England Eye Center, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Tufts School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA.
Wollstein
Gadi
G
Price
Lori Lyn
LL
Schuman
Joel S
JS
D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002829:Choroid / Q000098:blood supply; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005123:Eye / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007368:Interferometry; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000473:pathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D014054:Tomography; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular; D058609:Visual Field Tests; D014794:Visual Fields
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents