title: Exercise-induced acute changes in systolic blood pressure do not alter choroidal thickness as measured by a portable spectral-domain optical coherence tomography device.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure choroidal thickness in patients manifesting an acute change in systemic arterial blood pressure using a portable spectral-domain optical coherence tomography device (iVue).
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen patients (15 eyes) undergoing cardiac exercise stress testing were scanned using a portable spectral-domain optical coherence tomography system (iVue). Two scan protocols were used: cross line scan for measuring choroidal thickness and the retina map scan to measure retinal thickness. Each patient was scanned before and within 3 minutes after the stress test. Blood pressure was measured at the same time as the acquisition of the scans. Choroidal thickness was measured from the posterior edge of the retinal pigment epithelium to the choroid-sclera junction at 500-μm intervals up to 1,000 μm temporal and nasal to the fovea. Retinal thickness was measured by an automated software. All choroidal thickness measurements were performed by two independent observers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifteen patients (15 eyes) with a mean age of 60.6 (±10.4 years) were scanned. There was a significant increase in systolic but not diastolic pressure after stress testing (P < 0.05). The mean choroidal thickness measurements showed no significant difference before and after exercise stress testing (P > 0.05). In addition, there was no significant difference in retinal thickness before and after stress testing measurements (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no change in choroidal thickness or retinal thickness, despite an acute change in the systemic systolic blood pressure induced by exercise.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, New England Eye Center, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA.
authors.forename: Ahmad A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Alwassia
authors.forename: Mehreen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adhi
authors.forename: Jason Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Caio V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Regatieri
authors.forename: Adeeb
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Quthami
authors.forename: Deeb
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Salem
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: Jay S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Duker
mesh_terms: D062186:Arterial Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D002829:Choroid / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence