Doppler Velocimetry of the Ophthalmic Artery

Abstract

Doppler Velocimetry of the Ophthalmic Arteryrbital circulation has been assessed by color Doppler imaging for the last 20 years, and patterns of normality have been described for the orbital vessels. The importance of this examination was first shown in ophthalmologic diseases. 1-3 Hata et al 4 were the first to use Doppler velocimetry of the ophthalmic artery in the assessment of pregnant women. Then several authors evaluated this method during pregnancy, especially in patients with hypertension. 5-17 Ocular Doppler sonography has been shown to be an accurate, objective, and promising method in the evaluation of the severity of preeclampsia, which is the major cause of maternal mortality. [18][19][20] Although several authors have published data for ocular Doppler velocimetry, the reliability of the measurement of ophthalmic Doppler indices (resistive index, pulsatility index, and peak ratio) has not been extensively established. Most studies have evaluated the intraobserver reproducibility. [21][22][23][24][25][26] This study aimed to investigate the interobserver reliability in measuring ophthalmic artery Doppler indices. ORIGINAL RESEARCHObjectives-The aim of this study was to investigate the interobserver reliability for measuring ophthalmic artery Doppler indices.Methods-Healthy women (n = 30) were evaluated. The resistive index, pulsatility index, and peak ratio were determined by two independent observers who were blind to each other. A paired t test was used for the comparison of paired samples in the cases of replication between observers. Pearson product-moment correlation was used to study the relationship between the samples. The Bland-Altman graphic approach was used to investigate the agreement between observers.Results-No significant differences were found between the values obtained by the two independent observers for the resistive index and pulsatility index. The difference observed between the values obtained by the observers for the peak ratio was 0.02.Conclusions-Doppler velocimetry is a reproducible technique for evaluation of the resistive index and pulsatility index. For analysis of the peak ratio, an interval of ±0.02 should be considered for the measurement.

Ophthalmic artery peak systolic velocity ratio distinguishes pre‐eclampsia from chronic and gestational hypertension: A prospective cohort study

“…47 The OA Doppler is a bedside test that can be performed in all units with an ultrasound machine and only requires a vascular probe used in general ultrasonography. Studies have shown low inter-operator variability with the OA 18,50 and as it is non-invasive, it is not affected by adiposity or a gravid uterus (unlike the uterine arteries) and is simple to measure, taking less than 5 minutes per patient, it therefore provides a promising method of point-of-care testing for those with suspected pre-eclampsia that warrants further exploration.…”

“…Ophthalmic artery Doppler uses a simple and safe ultrasound technique and can be measured with standard ultrasound equipment within an outpatient obstetric setting. The measurements are quick to obtain, provide good inter‐observer and intra‐observer variability, change minimally with gestational age 17,18 and are not affected by maternal adiposity 17 . These qualities allow the OA Doppler ultrasound to be an ideal tool for point‐of‐care assessment of maternal haemodynamics, providing real‐time risk stratification and an objective aide to guide appropriate management.…”

Changes in ophthalmic artery Doppler during acute blood‐pressure control in hypertensive pregnant women

“…In the previous two decades, the anterior and the middle cerebral artery (MCA) were the main vessels interrogated in cardiovascular research 10 . More recently, the ophthalmic artery, which is the first branch of the internal carotid artery, has attracted attention because it is an easily accessible vessel that provides non-invasive and reproducible information on intracerebral hemodynamics 11,12 . There are three components to the arterial waveform from the ophthalmic artery: first, the systolic wave comprising the first (PSV1) and second (PSV2) peaks of systolic velocity; second, a dicrotic notch; and third, a diastolic wave (Figure 1).…”