Abnormality of retinal arterial velocity profiles using Doppler Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography in a case of Takayasu's arteritis with aortic regurgitation

PURPOSE: To evaluate the retinal microcirculation using a segmental-scanning Doppler optical coherence tomography (DOCT) flowmeter in a patient with Takayasu's arteritis (TA) with aortic valve regurgitation (AR). OBSERVATIONS: We measured the retinal blood velocity (V), retinal blood flow (RBF), and retinal blood velocity profiles (RBVP) of the major retinal arterioles using a DOCT flowmeter. The arteries were measured at the straight portion 1 disc diameter from the optic disc. Horizontal velocity profiles were extracted to evaluate the RBVP during one cardiac cycle. A patient with TA with stage 2 Takayasu retinopathy (TR) and AR, had normal RBF and V, and the RBVP had a parabolic pattern in the systolic phase. However, the V was very slow and the RBVP had an abnormal pattern in the diastolic phase. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: The current study showed for the first time that segmental-scanning DOCT flowmeter enables evaluation of an abnormal flow pattern of the RVBP in the retinal arterioles in a patient with TA and AR. Measurement of the retinal arterial blood flow may detect aortic valve dysfunction and shed light on the pathogenesis of TR.