Normal values of flow velocity and resistance index of the ophthalmic, the central retinal, and the short posterior ciliary arteries by color Doppler ultrasound in Mexican population

Abstract

Background: Orbital color Doppler ultrasound (DU) is a useful tool for the diagnosis of orbital vascular disease. The values in healthy patients vary depending on the geographic region; the normal values for the Mexican population are unknown. Methods: This is a non-experimental cross-sectional descriptive study; 154 patients of legal age without relevant ocular disorders or surgical history were included, who underwent a DU of both orbits to measure the maximum systolic velocity (MSV), end-diastolic velocity, and resistance index of the ophthalmic artery (OA), the central retinal artery, the nasal short posterior ciliary artery, and the temporal short posterior ciliary artery (TSPCA). Results: The mean age of the population was 35.47 years and 67.5% were women. The Kolmogórov-Smirnov test was used to determine the parametric or non-parametric distribution of the results with their respective statistical measures. There was no variation of the values regarding sex; in terms of age, we found a decrease of the MSV of both the OA (p = 0.046) and the temporal short posterior ciliary artery (p = 0.048) in patients over 50 years. Conclusions: DU is highly accessible and reproducible and is useful for obtaining data on the state of orbital arterial blood flow. Since there are important differences by geographical region, it is essential to obtain our own data to study orbital disorders.