Ophthalmic arterial blood pressures measured by ocular plethysmodynamography.

The indirect measurement of ophthalmic arterial blood pressure is an important index in the understanding of cerebral vacsular hemodynamics. Ophthalmodynamometry (ODM), the prototype for such measurement, is, however, replete with difficulties that have limited its widespread use. A preliminary evaluation of a new technique for ODM identified as ocular plethysmodynamography, has yielded accurate opthalmic blood pressure data without the attendant problems. Reproducible values for bilateral ophthalmic arterial pressure levels have been determined in 30 normal volunteers and the levels correlated to brachial arterial pressure levels. In a series of patients with arteriographically demonstrable carotid obstructive lesions, the preoperative and postoperative ophthalmic arterial blood pressure relationships exhibited excellent correlation with the roentgenographic and intraoperative data.