Sonographic Evaluation of Doppler Parameters Within the Central Retinal Artery: A Cohort Study

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the Doppler parameters, associated within the central retinal artery (CRA), based on a cohort of Nigerian participants. Materials and Methods: A total of 66 participants were recruited and consented at a medical clinic in Calabar, Nigeria, and presented from August 2019 to December 2023. The diagnostic data points recorded on this cohort were their fasting blood glucose (FBG) (mmol/L), CRA peak systolic velocity (PSV), CRA end-diastolic velocity (EDV), the resistive index (RI), and pulsatility index (PI). The data analysis was completed to provide descriptive information, as well as correlations. The statistical significance was set at P < .05. Results: In this cohort, the women demonstrated a higher PSV and EDV, based on the vascular flow within the right CRA (Rt. PSV [20.8 ± 6.0 SD] and Rt. EDV [5.8 ±2.1 SD]), as well as the left CRA (Lt. PSV [20. 6 ± 4.4 SD] and Lt. EDV [6.2 ± 2.0 SD]). This was compared to the men’s data taken on the vascular flow within the right CRA (Rt. PSV [19.6 ± 5.3 SD] and Rt. EDV [5.2 ± 1.8 SD]), as well as their left CRA (Lt. PSV [19.2± 4.7 SD] and Lt. EDV [5.3 ± 1.3 SD]). The participants’ FBG levels did not correlate with their respective Doppler parameters. The Doppler parameters, based on the flow within the right CRA, showed moderate to weak positive correlations compared with the left CRA. The PSV recorded in the right CRA was varied across the specific participant age groups of 17 to 25 and 26 to 34 years. Conclusion: Potential sex and age-related variations in the Doppler velocities, recorded within the CRA, were specific to this cohort, and the sample size may have compromised the overall study’s statistical power. A replication of this research is needed, and data from a larger cohort of participants are needed.