Color doppler imaging of ocular hemodynamic changes in Behçet's disease.

PURPOSE: A prospective evaluation of the ocular blood flow velocity in patients with BehCet's disease was carried out to determine its changes.

METHODS

Subjects were divided into three groups: those with ocular involvement in BehCet's disease (group I), those without ocular involvement in BehCet's disease (group II), and a control group (group III). Twenty-seven eyes in group I and 28 eyes each in groups II and III were investigated. The blood flow in the central retinal artery (CRA), ophthalmic artery (OA), nasal posterior ciliary artery (NPCA), and the temporal posterior ciliary artery (TPCA) was measured using color Doppler ultrasonography (CDU) to determine the peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV), and resistivity index (RI). The mean blood flow velocity of the central retinal vein (CRV) was also measured. These results were then compared among the three groups of subjects.

RESULTS

The PSV values of CRA in groups I and II were found to be significantly lower than those in the control group ( P < 0.001, P = 0.018, respectively). The PSV values of CRA in group I were found to be significantly lower than those in group II ( P< 0.001). The EDV values of CRA in groups I and II were found to be significantly lower than those in the control group ( P< 0.001, P = 0.034, respectively). The EDV values of CRA in group I were significantly lower than those in group II ( P = 0.041). The PSV values of OA in group I were significantly lower than those in the control group ( P = 0.002). The EDV values of OA in group I were significantly lower than those values in group II or the control group ( P = 0.001 and P = 0.037, respectively). The PSV values of NPCA in group I were significantly lower than those in the control group ( P = 0.007). The PSV values of TPCA in groups I and II were significantly lower than those in the control group ( P< 0.001, P < 0.001, respectively). The EDV values of TPCA in group I were significantly lower than those values in group II or the control group ( P = 0.014 and P = 0.003, respectively). There were no significant differences in the mean blood flow values of the CRV among all three groups ( P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

There are significant reductions in the blood flow values of the orbital arteries in patients with BehCet's disease, and they are more evident in those with ocular involvement. This might be the result of occlusive vasculitis, which is frequently seen in the retinal vessels of patients with BehCet's disease.