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Retinal duplex scanning in cerebrovascular disease and hypertension
M R Cesarone1, G Laurora, R Steigerwalt
1Microcirculation Laboratory, G.D'Annunzio University, Chieti, Italy.
Insights
Doppler duplex scanning of retinal flow velocity is a reproducible test. It revealed significantly lower velocities in patients with carotid plaques and hypertension, suggesting its potential for studying cerebrovascular disease.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Vascular Medicine
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Retinal blood flow assessment is crucial for understanding cerebrovascular health.
- Doppler duplex scanning offers a non-invasive method to evaluate blood flow dynamics.
- Previous studies have explored retinal flow but lacked comprehensive data in specific patient cohorts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate retinal flow velocity using Doppler duplex scanning.
- To assess the reproducibility of this measurement technique.
- To compare retinal flow velocities in normal subjects versus patients with carotid plaques and hypertension.
Main Methods:
- Doppler duplex scanning was performed on 100 patients with carotid plaques, 40 with hypertension, and 200 normal controls.
- Key parameters measured included peak systolic velocity (PSV) and end diastolic velocity (EDV).
- The ratio of systolic to diastolic velocity was also calculated.
Main Results:
- The test demonstrated good reproducibility.
- Peak systolic velocity was significantly lower in patients with carotid plaques (9.8 cm/s) and hypertension (8.3 cm/s) compared to normal subjects (12.5 cm/s).
- End diastolic velocity was also reduced in both patient groups, leading to an increased systolic/diastolic ratio (3.5 in cerebrovascular disease, 5.5 in hypertension vs. 2.3 in normals).
Conclusions:
- Duplex retinal flow velocity evaluation is a practical and reproducible method.
- This technique may serve as a valuable tool for studying retinal blood flow in patients with cerebrovascular disease and hypertension.
- Findings suggest altered retinal hemodynamics in these conditions.
Abstract:
Using Doppler duplex scanning retinal flow velocity was evaluated in 100 patients with carotid plaques, in 40 with hypertension and in 200 normal subjects. The reproducibility of the test was good. Peak systolic velocity was 12.5 cm/s in normals and significantly lower in patients with carotid plaques (9.8 +/- 6) and in patients with hypertension (8.3 +/- 6). The end diastolic velocity was also lower in both groups of patients. The ratio between the systolic and diastolic component was 2.3 in normals. It was increased in cerebrovascular disease (3.5) and in hypertension (5.5) as a consequence of the decrease in the diastolic component. In conclusion duplex retinal flow velocity evaluation is easy and reproducible and may be possibly used to study retinal flow in patients with cerebrovascular disease and in hypertension.