Ophthalmic Artery Blood Flow Velocity in Healthy Term and Preterm Neonates

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Abstract
Ophthalmic artery blood flow velocity (OA-BFV, cm/s), cerebral blood flow velocity (C-BFV, cm/s), and cardiac output (ml/min) were measured by pulsed Doppler sonography in 15 healthy term and 10 well preterm (26–35 wk) infants in the first week of life. OA-BFV did not increase with increasing gestational age (preterm: peak systolic BFV 29 ± 5 cm/s, mean BFV 7.2 ±1.5 cm/s; term: peak systolic BFV 27 ± 5 cm/s, mean BFV 6.6 ± 1.3 cm/s), unlike C-BFV (preterm: peak systolic BFV 34 ± 8 cm/s, mean BFV 9.4 ± 2.3 cm/s; term: peak systolic BFV 43 ± 9 cm/s, p < 0.05; mean BFV 11+3.0 cm/s, p < 0.05) and cardiac output (preterm 329 ± 128 ml/min, term 732 ± 112 ml/min; p < 0.001). The ratio of OA-BFV/C-BFV was significantly higher in preterm than in term infants (p < 0.01). In preterm infants, but not in term infants, there was a positive linear correlation of OA-BFV to C-BFV (r = 0.88). We conclude that it is possible to measure opthalmic artery blood flow velocity in neonates by pulsed Doppler sonography. Gestational age has different effects on OA-BFV and on C-BFV. Although it is a point of discussion if blood flow velocities are reflecting absolute blood flow, Doppler assessment of OA-BFV could be a tool for monitoring risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity.