title: Retinal Vessel Caliber, Choroidal Thickness and Ocular Pulse Amplitude Measurements in Essential Thrombocythemia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The choroid and retina receive most of the blood that enter to the eye, and this uptake may be affected by essential thrombocythemia (ET) in which thrombosis and hemorrhage is common. This study compares choroidal thickness, retinal vascular caliber, and ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) measurements between patients with ET and healthy adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-seven patients with ET and 37 age-sex-matched healthy adults were recruited in this cross-sectional and comparative study. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography was used to measure the subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) and retinal vascular caliber measurements. The Pascal dynamic contour tonometer was used for OPA and intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements. The independent samples t-test was used for comparison of measurements between the groups. Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis was used to detect correlations between the variables. A P < 0.05 was statistically significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SFCT, OPA, and IOP measurements were not statistically significant differences between the study group and the control group (P > 0.05, all comparisons). Blood platelet counts were not associated with choroidal thickness, OPA, and IOP (P > 0.05). Retinal arteriolar and venular calibers were statistically, significantly thicker in healthy controls when compared to the study group (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that choroidal thickness and pulsatile blood flow are not significantly affected in ET and under high blood platelet counts. Retinal arteriolar and venular calibers are thinner in ET when compared to age-sex matched healthy controls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gökhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pekel
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Hilmi
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Doğu
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hakan Ismail
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Sarı
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Semra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Acer
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Alper
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kasikci
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ramazan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yagci
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ebru Nevin
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Çetin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001699:Biometry; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D002829:Choroid / Q000473:pathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D010976:Platelet Count; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D013920:Thrombocythemia, Essential / Q000503:physiopathology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular
keywords: Blood Platelet Count; Choroid; Intraocular Pressure; Retinal Vasculature; Thrombocytosis