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Cerebral hemodynamics in ocular hypertension

  • Clinical Investigation
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the cerebral blood flow velocity in patients with ocular hypertension.

Material and methods

Twenty-four ocular hypertensive patients and 24 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers were recruited in a prospective comparative study. All subjects had normal findings on full-threshold visual field tests and clinically normal optic nerves. All patients with ocular hypertension had an intraocular pressure (IOP) of >21 mmHg on three separate occasions without treatment. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure by cuff, heart rate by palpation, IOP by Goldmann applanation tonometry, central corneal thickness by ultrasound pachymetry, blood flow velocities, and pulsatility index of the ipsilateral middle cerebral artery by transcranial color Doppler were measured.

Results

Systolic and diastolic blood pressures (P=0.40 and P=0.45, respectively), heart rate (P=0.30), and central corneal thickness (P=0.23) were similar in each group. Peak and end-diastolic blood flow velocities in the middle cerebral artery did not differ between ocular hypertensives and controls (P=0.37 and P=0.87, respectively). In addition, pulsatility index did not significantly differ between ocular hypertensives and controls (P=0.61).

Conclusions

The results of this study suggest that ocular hypertension is not associated with reduction in blood flow velocity and elevation of resistance in the middle cerebral artery.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Kırıkkale, 71100, Kırıkkale, Turkey

    Cengiz Akarsu, Pelin Taner & Ahmet Ergin

  2. Çağdaş Sokak 37/13, Aydinlikevler, 06130, Ankara, Turkey

    Cengiz Akarsu

  3. Department of Radiology, University of Kırıkkale, 71100, Kırıkkale, Turkey

    Yasemin Karadeniz Bilgili, Birsen Ünal & Simay Altan Kara

Authors
  1. Cengiz Akarsu
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  2. Yasemin Karadeniz Bilgili
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  3. Birsen Ünal
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  4. Pelin Taner
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  5. Ahmet Ergin
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  6. Simay Altan Kara
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Correspondence to Cengiz Akarsu.

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The authors have no commercial or proprietary interest in any of the equipment mentioned in this study.

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Akarsu, C., Bilgili, Y.K., Ünal, B. et al. Cerebral hemodynamics in ocular hypertension. Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 243, 317–320 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-004-0963-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-004-0963-2

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