Key result
Chronic heart failure was associated with lower ophthalmic artery mean diastolic velocity (5.14 vs 7.44 cm/s; p=0.007) and higher resistance index (0.76 vs 0.70; p=0.04) compared to healthy controls.
Why the study?
Does chronic heart failure alter ophthalmic artery hemodynamics compared to healthy volunteers?
Case-Control (n=39)
Does chronic heart failure alter ophthalmic artery hemodynamics compared to healthy volunteers?
Absolute Event Rate: 5.14% vs 7.44%
p-value: p=0.007
Patients with chronic heart failure exhibit altered ophthalmic artery hemodynamics, including lower diastolic velocity and higher resistance index, likely reflecting orbital vasoconstriction in response to low cardiac output.
Suggests orbital vasoconstriction in heart failure; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation before clinical relevance.
PURPOSE: To evaluate the ophthalmic artery hemodynamics in patients with chronic heart failure. METHODS: Doppler parameters of ophthalmic artery of 18 patients with chronic heart failure in different stages of the disease were compared with 21 healthy volunteers (control group). These parameters were also correlated with echocardiographic assessments and clinical cardiologic status. RESULTS: Mean diastolic velocity was 5.14 ± 2.4 cm/s in the chronic heart failure group and 7.44 ± 3.5 cm/s in the control group (p=0.007). Mean resistance index of the ophthalmic artery was 0.76 ± 0.08 in the chronic heart failure group and 0.70 ± 0.08 in the control group (p=0.04). Mean systolic velocity of the ophthalmic artery was 22.03 ± 7.7 cm/s in the chronic heart failure group and 25.32 ± 9.2 cm/s in the control group (p=0.24). There was a negative correlation between the resistance index of the ophthalmic artery and systemic blood pressure of patients with chronic heart failure (r= -0.47, p=0.007). Diastolic velocity of the ophthalmic artery correlated positively with systemic blood pressure (r=0.44, p=0.02). CONCLUSION: Lower diastolic velocity and higher resistance index were observed in the ophthalmic artery of chronic heart failure patients when compared to the control group, which probably reflects the presence of orbital vasoconstriction in response to low cardiac output. Therefore, the influence of these findings on the structure and function of the optic nerve head deserves investigation.
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Almeida-Freitas et al. (2011) conducted a case-control in chronic heart failure (n=39). Chronic heart failure vs. Healthy volunteers was evaluated on Mean diastolic velocity of the ophthalmic artery (p=0.007). Chronic heart failure was associated with lower ophthalmic artery mean diastolic velocity (5.14 vs 7.44 cm/s; p=0.007) and higher resistance index (0.76 vs 0.70; p=0.04) compared to healthy controls.
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