Doppler Indices of the Ophthalmic Artery in Pregnant Women With Pregestational Diabetes Mellitus With and Without Retinopathy

Objectives To evaluate ophthalmic Doppler velocimetry patterns in pregnant women with pregestational diabetes mellitus with and without retinopathy in comparison to pregnant women without gestational intercurrences. Methods This cross-sectional observational study analyzed Doppler indices of the ophthalmic arteries, including the resistive index (RI), pulsatility index, peak systolic velocity, second peak systolic velocity, peak ratio, and end-diastolic velocity (EDV), in 3 groups of pregnant women: diabetic with retinopathy (n = 12); diabetic without retinopathy (n = 85); and nondiabetic controls (n = 122). The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for the statistical analysis with a probability of 95%. Results The mean gestational ages +/- SDs of pregnant women with and without retinopathy and nondiabetic controls were 29.1 +/- 2.2, 29.7 +/- 2.7, and 31 +/- 1.0 weeks, respectively, with no significant differences between the groups (P > .099). The mean RI in the group with retinopathy was significantly higher (P= .030) than in the control group, but it did not significantly differ compared to the group without retinopathy (P= .204). The RI in the control group did not differ from that in the group without retinopathy (P= .079). The EDV was significantly lower in the group with retinopathy (P= .015) in relation to the control group, but there were no differences compared to the group without retinopathy (P= .217). Conclusions Pregnant women with pregestational diabetes mellitus and retinopathy had increased vascular impedance in the ophthalmic artery together with a reduction in the EDV, which was probably related to ischemia, thrombosis, and neovascularization of retinal vessels.