[Dye-filling patterns in routine serial angiograms]

Rapid-sequence fluorescein angiograms of 127 healthy eyes with cilioretinal arteries were analyzed with regard to the time of dye entry into the central retinal artery, the cilioretinal artery and the choroid. In younger patients up to age 49) the cilioretinal artery filled simultaneously just as often as prior to the central retinal artery (42.9% and 41.4%, respectively); only rarely (15.7%) was a later filling noticed. In older persons (50 years of age and older) this filling pattern was reversed. The cilioretinal artery most frequently filled later than the central retinal artery (48.7%) and only rarely prior to it (15.8%). Similar results were obtained when comparing the filling time of the central retinal artery with the first choroidal fluorescein. With increasing age the circulation in the choroid and the cilioretinal arteries slows down in comparison to the central retinal artery, due to sclerotic vessel changes which have been shown to be much more pronounced in the choroidal vessels than in the retinal vessels. These findings are important for the understanding of age-related diseases of the optic nerve head, which derives almost all its blood supply from the choroidal circulation.