Ocular Blood Flow Changes in Behçet Disease Patients with/without Thrombotic Disease

Abstract

In this study, the authors aimed to evaluate ocular blood flow changes in Behçet disease (BD) with and without thrombotic disease. Ninety eyes of 90 patients with a diagnosis of BD (30 eyes with active uveitis, 23 eyes with inactive uveitis, 25 eyes without ocular involvement, and 12 eyes without ocular involvement and with a history of thrombosis) and 30 eyes of 30 age-and sex-matched control patients without any systemic disease with a total of 120 eyes were evaluated. In all cases, ophthalmic, central retinal, and ciliary artery flow parameters were measured with colour Doppler ultrasonography (CDU). The ocular blood flow parameters of all vessels in patients with active uveitis were found to be affected. All the flow parameters in the CRAs of the study groups were significantly different from the control group (p50.001). Additionally, in non-ocular BD patients with thrombosis, blood flow parameters were affected more than the parameters in non-ocular BD patients without thrombosis and control patients. In conclusion, major haemodynamic changes were observed using CDU in the ophthalmic vessels of ocular Behçet patients. Also, CDU may detect ocular blood flow alterations before initial ocular clinical manifestations appear in BD patients

Ocular lesions in Behçet’s disease

“…If the eye fundus is visible, optic disc hyperaemia and optic disc swelling, inflammatory infiltration of the retina, retinal vein occlusion and retinal detachment can often be observed [18]. Retinal vasculitis is the most serious complication of BD that affects the arteries and veins of the posterior segment of eyeball [19]. The appearance of this manifestation is most strongly associated with an increased risk of vision loss.…”