title: Ophthalmic artery vasodilation after intranasal estradiol use in postmenopausal women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study aim was to evaluate the acute hemodynamic effects of intranasal 17-beta-estradiol on ophthalmic arterial circulation in postmenopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one healthy women in natural menopause for at least 6 months (mean age: 53.2± 2.9 years) were investigated. Each patient received 300 µg intranasal 17-beta-estradiol. We evaluated the heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, ophthalmic artery velocity at systolic and diastolic peak and its flow curve integral (FCI) before and 30, 60 and 180 minutes after the administration of the drug.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At all time points, the ophthalmic artery FCI showed statistically significant variations (p<0.001) of velocity (cm/sec) compared to T0 (speed recorded at baseline before drug administration). Moreover, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate did not significantly differ each other after drug administration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Administration of a single dose of intranasal 17-beta-estradiol to healthy postmenopausal women increases ophthalmic artery perfusion.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Diseases Section, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation (DETO), University of Bari, Bari, Italy. ciccone@cardio.uniba.it
authors.forename: Marco Matteo
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ciccone
authors.forename: Ettore
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cicinelli
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giovanni
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scicchitano
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gesualdo
authors.forename: Annapaola
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zito
authors.forename: Fara
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fornarelli
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Locorotondo
authors.forename: Maria Vittoria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Cicinelli
authors.forename: Concetta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Teo
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Farinola
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Scrutinio
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D004958:Estradiol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D009880:Ophthalmic Artery / Q000187:drug effects*; D017698:Postmenopause; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D004958:Estradiol