Abstract

Background: Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a common cause of blindness. It is particularly common and severe in the black population, occurring in younger subjects.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate color Doppler ultrasound (CDU) characteristics of the arteries of the optic nerve head (ONH) in young black patient with POAG.

Method: a prospective descriptive and analytical study of the measures of the blood flow parameters of the arteries of the ONH by CDU, in a consecutive series of 30 black-Africans glaucomatous patients of both sexes, aged 18 to 45 years diagnosed positive for POAG.

Results: A female predominance with a sex ratio of 0.76 was noted. Intra ocular pressure (IOP) was normal in 60% in the right eye, 66.7% in the left eye, or 63.3% in both eyes. The Arterial peak systolic velocity (PSV) was normal in 53.3%, low (46.7%) for the ophthalmic artery (OA). No cases of increased PSV were recorded. The PSV was accelerated in 98.3% in the central retinal artery (CRA), and normal (33.3%) or accelerated (65%) in the paraoptic short ciliary artery (PCA). The correlation analysis between variations in PSV and IOP does not show a statistically significant relationship (p> 0.05) for the three arteries of the ONH. The resistive index (RI) were elevated in 11.7%, 70% and 45%, respectively in the OA, CRA and PCA. No case of decreased resistance was found for the three arteries. The correlation between RI and IOP also did not show a statistically significant correlation (p> 0.05).

Conclusion: CDU of the arteries of ONH in black origin young glaucomatous patients presents peculiarities. PSVs are low or normal in OA, with RI most often normal, while PSV are high or normal in CRA and PCA and RI high in the majority of cases.

Keywords: Color Doppler ultrasound; primary open-angle glaucoma; black-African.