Magnesium sulfate and ophthalmic artery Doppler velocimetry in patients with severe preeclampsia: a case series

BACKGROUND: In the present study, we used Doppler velocimetry in the ophthalmic artery to evaluate the hemodynamic status of the intracranial vasculature. This is the first time in the literature that indices of ophthalmic artery Doppler sonography of women with preeclampsia were evaluated before and after the use of magnesium sulfate to prevent eclampsia. CASE PRESENTATION: Indices of ophthalmic artery Doppler sonography of six women with severe preeclampsia at 27 to 33 weeks of gestational age were evaluated before and after the use of magnesium sulfate (10 minutes, 30 minutes, and 60 minutes after the magnesium sulfate loading dosage. The patients’ ages were 26 years (patient 01), 29 years (patient 02), 20 years (patient 03), 21 years (patient 04), 20 years (patient 05), and 19 years (patient 06). The ethnic group of patients 01 and 04 was white and the ethnic group of patients 02, 03, 05 and 06 was mulatto. CONCLUSIONS: The apparent increase in resistance index and pulsatility index values, although there is no statistical significance in this series of cases, and the decrease in peak ratio values after the administration of magnesium sulfate reflect an increase in the impedance to flow in the ophthalmic artery and consequently a reduction in cerebral perfusion after the use of magnesium sulfate. This may explain how magnesium sulfate protects women with severe preeclampsia against cerebral damage and prevents acute convulsions in these patients. We believe that this case series report may have a broader clinical impact across medicine because the mechanism of how magnesium sulfate can protect patients and prevent acute convulsions is controversial.