Pulsatile ocular blood flow: relationship with flow velocities in vessels supplying the retina and choroid.
BACKGROUND
Although ocular tonography measures a pulsatile component of the ocular perfusion, the retinal and/or choroidal components of this pulsatile flow remain undefined.


OBJECTIVE
To compare ocular tonography with the assessment of flow velocities in arteries supplying the retina, choroid and entire orbit.


METHODS
22 normal eyes from 11 subjects were studied. Pulsatile ocular blood flow (POBF) was measured using the ocular blood flow tonograph, and flow velocities in the ophthalmic, central retinal (CRA) and temporal short posterior ciliary arteries (TSPCA) using colour Doppler imaging. The correlation between POBF and retrobulbar flow velocities was determined.


RESULTS
POBF correlated significantly with peak systolic velocity (PSV) of the CRA (r = 0.56, p = 0.007) and the TSPCA (r = 0.48, p = 0.02), and with the resistive index of the TSPCA (r = 0.45, p = 0.04). Additionally, pulse amplitude (PSV-end diastolic velocity) in the CRA and the TSPCA correlated significantly with POBF measurements (each p<0.05). However, POBF did not correlate with any flow velocity indices in the ophthalmic artery.


CONCLUSIONS
POBF is associated with systolic and pulsatile components of blood flow velocities in both the CRA and the TSPCA. This result suggests that POBF determinations are influenced by the pulsatile components of both choroidal and retinal perfusion.
Zion
Itay Ben
IB
Department of Ophthalmology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
Harris
Alon
A
Siesky
Brent
B
Shulman
Shiri
S
McCranor
Lynne
L
Garzozi
Hanna J
HJ
D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002829:Choroid / Q000098:blood supply*; D019842:Ciliary Arteries / Q000502:physiology; D005123:Eye / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009915:Orbit / Q000098:blood supply; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D012161:Retinal Artery / Q000502:physiology*; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color