Abstract
We aimed to investigate the increase in resistivity of the retinal artery in the branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO)-affected area, and to visualize it. Thirty-two eyes of 32 patients with BRVO were measured by laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG). The retinal artery and vein running to the BRVO-affected area and vertically symmetrical vessels in the unaffected area were examined. We applied the LSFG parameter beat strength over mean blur rate (BOM), calculated using a similar method to the pulsatility index used in Doppler flowmetry to evaluate resistivity of the vessels. Our results showed that the BOM map could clearly visualize the increase of resistivity in the retinal artery as a two-dimensional map. The BOM of the arteries in the affected area was significantly higher than that of the unaffected area (P = 0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed that the ratio of BOM in retinal arteries of the affected area to the unaffected was significantly associated with the extent of retinal hemorrhage (β = 0.447, P = 0.009). In conclusion, the index of resistivity of the retinal artery in the BRVO-affected area was higher and could be visualized in a two-dimensional map. These findings and techniques would contribute to elucidate the pathophysiology of BRVO.
Highlights
We aimed to investigate the increase in resistivity of the retinal artery in the branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO)-affected area, and to visualize it
The extent of retinal hemorrhage in the fundus photograph was defined as the ratio of the range of retinal hemorrhage to the range of optic disc measured by Image J, and it was expressed the unit of disc diameter (DD) in this study
A total of 39 patients with treatment naïve BRVO were examined for laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) measurements in both eyes
Summary
We aimed to investigate the increase in resistivity of the retinal artery in the branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO)-affected area, and to visualize it. The index of resistivity of the retinal artery in the BRVO-affected area was higher and could be visualized in a two-dimensional map. There has been no visual representation of the index of the resistivity in the retinal vessels It is unclear whether the increased resistance of the retinal arteries is in the localized retinal area where RVO develops or in whole retina caused by inflammatory cytokines or other factors. The laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG; Softcare Co., Ltd., Fukutsu, Japan) can simultaneously measure and visualize many blood vessels in a noninvasive manner compared to conventional devices, and there are many studies regarding new insights on retinal vein occlusion using LSFG6,12. The names of the parameters are different, but both parameters represent resistivity of the retinal vessels
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