Effects of high-dose prednisolone on optic nerve head blood flow in patients with acute optic neuritis.
BACKGROUND
In this study, patients with optic neuritis were treated with high-dose prednisolone. Little information is available about the effects of this treatment on ocular blood flow. We set out to investigate the effects of high-dose prednisolone on optic nerve head (ONH) blood flow in patients with acute optic neuritis.


METHODS
Thirteen patients with acute optic neuritis were included in the study. 1000 mg of prednisolone was infused intravenously over 30 minutes on 3 consecutive days. On each study day, ONH blood flow was measured using laser Doppler flowmetry. The ocular hemodynamic measurements were performed on the unaffected eye of the patients with unilateral acute optic neuritis before and immediately after cessation of the infusion. Intraocular pressure (IOP) and systemic blood pressure was measured before and after the infusion on each study day. Data was analyzed using a repeated measures ANOVA model.


RESULTS
Prednisolone increased ONH blood flow in the patients under study (p = 0.04), although the effects were in generally small. No significant change in mean arterial pressure (p = 0.70) or IOP (p = 0.20) could be detected in the patients treated with high-dose prednisolone.


CONCLUSIONS
A small but significant increase in ONH blood flow resulted from infusion of high-dose prednisolone. Further studies are required to investigate whether this effect contributes to the therapeutic efficacy of cortisone in patients with optic neuritis.
Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20 1090, Vienna, Austria.
K
K
Kircher
G
G
Weigert
H
H
Resch
G
G
Garhöfer
G T
GT
Dorner
G
G
Fuchsjäger Mayrl
A
A
Reitner
L
L
Schmetterer
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009898:Optic Disk / Q000098:blood supply*; D009902:Optic Neuritis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000187:drug effects
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D011239:Prednisolone