[Analysis of ophthalmic arterial flow by color Doppler imaging in glaucomatous eyes]

The blood flow velocity of the ophthalmic artery was analyzed by color Doppler imaging in normal subjects and patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) or normal-tension glaucoma (NTG), to investigate the changes in intraocular circulatory dynamics. Maximum systolic flow velocity (Vmax), minimum diastolic flow velocity (Vmin), time-averaged flow velocity (Vmean), and resistivity index (RI) were determined. The coefficients of variation as indices for the reproducibility of the measurements in five normal volunteers were 5.0 +/- 4.0%, 8.8 +/- 5.7%, 7.9 +/- 7.5%, and 2.3 +/- 1.9% (mean +/- SD) for Vmax, Vmin, Vmean and RI. Measurements of ophthalmic arterial flow velocity were made in 20 patients with POAG, 20 patients with NTG, and 30 normal subjects matched for mean age. The POAG patients and NTG patients showed a significant reduction in the three indices for velocities (p < 0.01) and a significant increase in RI (p < 0.05) compared with normal subjects. There were no significant differences in all the four indices between POAG and NTG in patients matched for similar visual field defects and mean age. Our results indicate that the circulatory dynamics of the ophthalmic artery were different in glaucoma patients than in normal subjects.