Early Orbital Blood Flow Changes in Multiple Sclerosis Patients with Unilateral Acute Optic Neuritis

The aim of this study was to evaluate orbital blood flow by using colour Doppler imaging before corticosteroid administration in multiple sclerosis patients with unilateral acute optic neuritis. Thirty multiple sclerosis patients with unilateral acute optic neuritis and 30 healthy subjects were included as the study and the control groups. The diagnosis of multiple sclerosis optic neuritis was based on clinical presentation, visually evoked potential, and magnetic resonance imaging findings. Data obtained from affected and unaffected eyes were compared with each other and the control group. Ophthalmic artery peak systolic velocity, end-diastolic velocity, resistivity index, and pulsatile index were measured in all patients before administration of systemic corticosteroid treatment and in control subjects. All parameters of blood flow obtained from affected eyes of patients who developed acute optic neuritis were significantly higher than those of the clinically uninvolved eyes of the affected patients (p < 0.001) and those of control eyes (p < 0.001). In addition, statistically significant increases were found in ophthalmic artery peak systolic velocity, end-diastolic velocity, and resistivity index of the clinically uninvolved eye of the affected patients compared with the control group (p = 0.002, p = 0.012, p = 0.013, respectively). No significant differences were found in blood flow data between left and right eyes of the control group (p > 0.05).