Color Doppler Ultrasound Assessment of Ophthalmic Artery-Derived Blood Flow in Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischaemic Optic Neuropathy

Our aim was to evaluate the blood flow (BF) parameters of the ophthalmic artery (OA), short posterior ciliary arteries (SPCAs) and central retinal artery (CRA) in the affected eyes and fellow eyes of non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NA-AION) patients, and in control subjects. Nineteen patients who presented with symptoms of acute NA-AION at the University of Debrecen Department of Ophthalmology, were enrolled in the study. The BF parameters (peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV) and resistance index (RI)) of the OA, SPCAs and CRA were determined in the affected eyes of the patients and compared with the fellow eyes and with the eyes of an age-matched healthy control group. Both PSV and EDV measured in the OA were found to be significantly lower in the affected eyes compared with either the fellow eyes (p < 0.001 and p = 0.042, respectively) or the control eyes (p = 0.002 and p < 0.001, respectively). In the SPCAs, PSV and EDV were found to be significantly lower in the affected eyes (p < 0.001 and p = 0.019, respectively) and the fellow eyes (p = 0.038 and p = 0.048, respectively) than in the control eyes. According to our findings in the development of the NA-AION, combined BF disturbance of OA and SPCAs can play a role; neither decreased circulation in the OA nor decreased circulation in the SPCAs, could on their own result in optic nerve damage. Based on our examinations, simultaneously both OA and SPCAs flow disturbance may be required for the development of NA-AION.