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Updated: Aug 31, 2026
Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography of Retinal Circulation
Published on: September 18, 2012
Doppler assessment of hemodynamic changes after hemodilution in retinal vein occlusion
F Tranquart1, S Arsene, A S Aubert-Urena
1Nuclear Medicine and Ultrasound Department, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Bretonneau, Tours, France.
Insights
Color Doppler imaging effectively monitors hemodilution effects on retinal vein occlusion by analyzing arterial and venous blood flow. This technique shows improvements in blood flow dynamics, particularly in central retinal vein occlusion.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Vascular Medicine
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is a significant cause of vision loss.
- Isovolumetric hemodilution is a therapeutic strategy to improve blood flow in RVO.
- Monitoring the hemodynamic effects of hemodilution is crucial for treatment assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of color Doppler imaging and spectral analysis.
- To monitor the impact of isovolemic hemodilution on retinal blood flow in RVO patients.
Main Methods:
- Color Doppler imaging assessed blood flow velocities and resistance index (RI) in central retinal arteries and veins.
- Measurements were taken in affected and unaffected eyes before and after hemodilution.
- The study included 70 adult patients with RVO.
Main Results:
- Hemodilution reduced hematocrit from 41.8% to 33.0%.
- Affected eyes with ischemic RVO showed improved arterial RI post-hemodilution.
- Affected eyes with non-ischemic RVO demonstrated increased venous flow velocity post-hemodilution.
Conclusions:
- Doppler analysis is valuable for monitoring hemodilution's effects on retinal arterial and venous velocities in RVO.
- The findings support the use of Doppler imaging in managing RVO patients undergoing hemodilution.
Purpose:
We assessed the usefulness of color Doppler imaging and spectral analysis in monitoring the effect of isovolemic hemodilution on retinal vein occlusion.
Methods:
Color Doppler imaging was used to measure the systolic and diastolic blood flow velocities and the resistance index (RI) in the central retinal artery and the maximum and minimum blood flow velocities in the central retinal vein of affected eyes and contralateral unaffected eyes before and 1 day after isovolemic hemodilution in 70 adults (40 men and 30 women; mean age, 62.4 +/- 13.7 years) who presented with retinal vein occlusion.
Results:
With hemodilution, the hematocrit value was decreased from 41.8 +/- 3.0 to 33.0 +/- 3.0. In central retinal vein occlusion, the pretreatment arterial and venous flow velocities of affected eyes were significantly lower than those of unaffected eyes. After hemodilution in eyes affected by ischemic occlusion, a significant improvement in the RI in the central retinal artery was observed without changes in venous flow velocity. After hemodilution in eyes affected by non-ischemic occlusion, a significant increase in maximal venous flow velocity only was noted. In branch retinal vein occlusion, no significant difference was observed in the RI between affected and unaffected eyes. After hemodilution, an improvement in RI was noted only for affected eyes.
Conclusions:
The present results confirm the potential value of Doppler analysis in monitoring the impact of hemodilution on arterial and venous velocity in patients with central retinal vein occlusion.
