Ophthalmic artery Doppler measurements in Chinese women with healthy pregnancies

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to establish a reference range for ophthalmic artery (OA) Doppler parameters in Chinese women with healthy pregnancies. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional study was performed to assess OA Doppler parameters in 300 healthy women between 11 and 32 weeks of gestation between October 2022 and December 2022. We took two measurements in each eye and recorded the following measurements: the first peak of systolic velocity (PSV1), the second peak of systolic velocity (PSV2), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), mean velocity (MV), pulsatility and resistance indices (PI, RI), the ratio of the second peak to the first peak of systolic velocity (PR), and systolic/diastolic (S/D) pressure. The relationship between the RI, PI, PR, PSV2 and gestational age (GA) was analysed by Spearman rank correlation and linear regression analysis.The 5th and 95th percentiles of OA Doppler indices (PI, RI, PR, PSV2) for 11-32 gestational weeks were computed via the LMS method. RESULTS: A total of 283 healthy pregnant women at different gestational ages were enrolled in this study to analyze the correlation between OA hemodynamic parameters and GA With an increase in GA, the PR of the OA exhibited a progressive downward trend: the mean RPR value was 0.67 ± 0.08 at 12 weeks of gestation and decreased to 0.54 ± 0.07 at 30 weeks, with the difference being statistically highly significant (P < 0.001), while no significant changes were observed in the PI, RI, and PSV2 of the OA. The 5th and 95th prediction intervals for each GA are presented. Intra- and interobserver variability was considered satisfactory. CONCLUSIONS: PR of OA is a GA-dependent hemodynamic index that decreases progressively with advancing gestation, whereas the PI, RI, and PSV2 of OA remain stable throughout the observation period. These findings provide a reliable reference for the clinical assessment of maternal ocular hemodynamics during pregnancy.