[Doppler sonography of the short posterior ciliary artery in patients with primary open angle glaucoma]

The area of primary damage in glaucomas is the optic nerve head. This region is directly supplied by the peripapillary choroid and the short posterior ciliary arteries (SPCA). This study was designed to evaluate the choroidal and SPCA haemodynamics in high tension (HTG) and normal tension (NTG) primary open angle glaucoma patients, as well as in healthy controls (CTL).

20 HTG, 12 NTG, and 32 age matched volunteers (CTL) without clinically relevant extracranial stenosis of the carotid arteries were evaluated for ocular pulse amplitude (OPA; OBF-System OBF Labs, UK) and for temporal SPCA peak systolic flow (PSV), enddiastolic flow (EDV), pulsatility (PI) and resistance indices (RI) using a 9 MHz phased array (Elegra Advanced System; Siemens, Germany).

(mean +/- SD): In the control group the PSV (cm/s) of the SPCA was 10.90 +/- 1.53; EDV (cm/s) was 3.24 +/- 0.24, PI was 1.30 +/- 0.39, RI was 0.69 +/- 0.11, OPA (mm Hg) was 2.2 +/- 0.25; IOP (mmHg) was 14.6 +/- 1.5. When compared to CTL matched for age, sex, and refraction, NTG-patients showed the following results: OPA was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced, dopplersonography showed a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in diastolic flow patterns and a significant (p < 0.05) increase in PI and RI. In HTG-patients the parameters investigated where not significantly (p > 0.05) altered.

These data suggest reduced haemodynamics in the choroid and in the SPCA of NTG patients, which may contribute to progression of the optic neuropathy. In HTG the Doppler parameters and the OPA are not altered compared with the control group.