Retrobulbar and common carotid artery haemodynamics and carotid wall thickness in patients with non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy

Abstract

To evaluate retrobulbar and common carotid artery (CCA) haemodynamics and CCA wall thickness in the patients with acute unilateral non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION) by colour Doppler imaging (CDI). Twenty-two patients with acute unilateral NAION and 28 age- and sex-matched controls were included in this prospective study. By CDI, the peak-systolic velocity (PSV) and end-diastolic velocity (EDV) of the ophthalmic artery (OA) and central retinal artery (CRA) in both eyes were measured or calculated. Intima-media thickness (IMT) and blood flow velocity were measured in both CCAs. Measurements on the affected side of the patients were compared to the contralateral healthy side and the controls. Compared to the controls, the blood flow velocities in the CRA were significantly decreased (p < 0.05), and IMT of CCA was greater (p < 0.001) on the affected side, while the blood flow velocities in the OA and CCA showed no statistically significant difference. The blood flow velocities in the CRA tended to be reduced bilaterally in the patients with NAION, and the difference of PSV and EDV was insignificant between the affected eyes and fellow eyes (p = 0.69, 0.86 respectively). No marked differences between the controls and the unaffected sides were detected, neither for the blood flow velocities in CRA, OA, CCA nor for the IMT of CCA. Decreased blood velocities of CRA and increased carotid wall thickness were found on the affected side of acute NAION compared to healthy controls. These findings might be potentially useful in the treatment monitoring of NAION.