Pulsatile ocular blood flow: Changes associated with scleral buckling procedures

Abstract

To determine the changes in the pulse amplitude (PA) and the pulsatile ocular blood flow (POBF) after scleral buckling (SB). Retrospectively, we studied 24 patients (average age, 52 years) who had undergone SB to repair a retinal detachment in one eye. The patients were divided into two groups: those in whom SB had been performed less than 6 months earlier (n = 10), and those in whom the procedure had been performed more than 6 months previously (n = 14). In each group, the PA and the POBF were determined with a computerized tonometry system, and the values in the SB eyes were compared with those in the control fellow eyes. Within 6 months postoperatively, the mean PA in the SB eyes (0.66 +/- 0.30 mmHg) was significantly lower than that in the control eyes (1.43 +/- 0.34 mmHg; P < 0.05). The mean POBF in the SB eyes (349.5 +/- 154.1 microl/min) was also significantly lower than that in the control eyes (631.0 +/- 226.6 microl/min; P < 0.05). After more than 6 months postoperatively, there were no significant differences in the PA or the POBF between the SB eyes (1.08 +/- 0.49 mmHg and 612.4 +/- 341.2 microl/min, respectively) and the control eyes (1.50 +/- 0.51 mmHg and 589.5 +/- 278.4 microl/min, respectively). These results indicate that the choroidal blood flow decreases after SB but returns to normal levels after 6 months.