Color Doppler Velocimetry in Primary Open Angle Glaucoma

Park, Ki Ho

Abstract

To compare the color Doppler imaging(CDI) parameters between the eyes of primary open angle glaucoma(POAG) and those of normal subjects, and to evaluate the differences in parameters according to whether trabeculectomy was performed or not, the number of glaucoma medication used, the severity of visual field defect, and the level of intraocular pressure, CDI was performed in 42 eyes of POAG and 35 normal eyes. We used ATL-Ultramark 9 Duplex scanner with 6.0 MHz Doppler frequency to measure the peak sys-tolic and end diastolic flow velocity and resistance index(RI) of ophthalmic and central retinal artery. The POAG eyes showed a significant reduction in peak systolic and end diastolic flow velocity of ophthalmic and central retinal artery compared with the normal healthy eyes(p<0.01, t-test). RI of central retinal artery was significantly decreased in the eyes underwent trabeculectomy(n=17) compared with the eyes trabeculectomy was not performed(n=25)(p<0.05, t-test). The eyes of moderate field defect(mean deviation=-5.76 +/- 1.46 dB, n=14) showed a significant reduction in peak systolic and end diastolic flow velocity of ophthalmic artey compared with age-and sex-matched normal eyes(p<0.05, t-test), whereas the eyes of advanced field defect(mean deviation=-19.38 +/- 8.15 dB, n=14) showed a significant reduction in peak systolic flow velocity of central retinal artery(p<0.05) as well as in peak systolic and end diastolic flow velocity of ophthalmic artery compared with the normal eyes(p<0.05). The results suggest that CDI could be used as a tool for the evaluation of treatment effect and follow-up of glaucoma patients.