Three-dimensional Power Doppler Ultrasound Assessment of Maternal Orbital Blood Flow in Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy

IntroductIonThe ophthalmic artery pulsatility index (OAPI) measured by color and pulsed Doppler ultrasound significantly decreases in the presence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP). 1,2OAPI in those with gestational hypertension (GH) or chronic hypertension was reportedly significantly lower than in normotensive pregnancies but significantly higher than in those with pre-eclampsia (PE). 3 The lower OAPI may be interpreted as orbital vascular vasodilatation, suggesting orbital hyperperfusion or hyperemia. 3However, it is important to understand that OAPI is not a measurement of volumetric blood flow in the maternal orbit. 4 Three-dimensional (3D) power Doppler ultrasound with VOCAL (virtual organ computer-aided analysis) histogram analysis could be used to evaluate blood flow in a fetus 5,6 and placenta. [7][8]][9][10] were the first to assess maternal orbital vascularity using 3D power Doppler with VOCAL in normal pregnancies and in the presence of gestational diabetes mellitus.In the current study, we evaluated maternal orbital blood flow in HDP using 3D power Doppler ultrasound with VOCAL histogram analysis.