Ocular pulse amplitude is reduced in patients with advanced retinitis pigmentosa

BACKGROUND/AIMS The choroid, a low resistance vascular structure carrying 85% of the ocular blood flow, provides nourishment to and removal of potential toxic waste products from the adjacent non-vascularised outer layers of the retina, macula, and optic disc regions. Choroidal perfusion may be redu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of ophthalmology 2001-06, Vol.85 (6), p.678-682
Main Authors: Schmidt, Karl-Georg, Pillunat, Lutz E, Kohler, Konrad, Flammer, Josef
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Age
Biological and medical sciences
Blood Pressure Determination
Case-Control Studies
Choroid
Choroid - blood supply
choroidal perfusion
Defects
Disease
Disease Progression
Eye diseases
Female
Glaucoma
Heart Rate
Humans
Hypoxia
intraocular pressure
Linear Models
Male
Medical examination
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Nitrates
ocular pulse amplitude
Ophthalmology
Perfusion (Physiology)
Physiological aspects
Regional Blood Flow
Retina - anatomy & histology
Retinitis pigmentosa
Retinitis Pigmentosa - physiopathology
Retinopathies
Scientific Correspondence
Tonometry, Ocular
visual field
Visual Field Tests
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Summary:BACKGROUND/AIMS The choroid, a low resistance vascular structure carrying 85% of the ocular blood flow, provides nourishment to and removal of potential toxic waste products from the adjacent non-vascularised outer layers of the retina, macula, and optic disc regions. Choroidal perfusion may be reduced in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and might contribute to retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) degeneration. The aim of this study was to determine whether choroidal perfusion is reduced in RP and whether this is correlated with the stage of disease. METHODS Ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) evaluated with the ocular blood flow (OBF) system, applanation intraocular pressure (IOP), visual fields, blood pressure (BP), and heart rate (HR) were measured in 75 RP patients having stage RP-I (stage I: visual field size: 7.85–14.67 cm2; n = 22), stage RP-II (stage II: visual field size: 2.83–7.84 cm2; n = 29), or stage RP-III (stage III: visual field size: 0.52–2.82 cm2; n = 24) were compared with matched healthy controls and each other. RESULTS Neither IOP nor systemic perfusion parameters were significantly (p >0.1) altered, but OPA (mm Hg) in RP patients beginning with stage RP-II (1.6 (0.1), 27.3%, p
ISSN:0007-1161
1468-2079
DOI:10.1136/bjo.85.6.678