High-frequency Doppler ultrasound examination of blood flow in the anterior segment of the eye.

Abstract

To show that extending Doppler imaging into the high-frequency domain could allow detection and characterization of blood flow in small arterioles and capillaries. A 40-MHz continuous wave Doppler system and a 60-MHz pulsed-wave Doppler system were constructed, tested, and used to examine the ciliary body region in two normal volunteers. Ciliary body circulation in the region of the great circle of the iris, which is undetectable by conventional 7.5-MHz duplex Doppler, was consistently and reproducibly detectable by high-frequency (40-MHz and 60-MHz) Doppler systems. High-frequency Doppler imaging may provide a unique new tool for the characterization and assessment of anterior segment ocular blood flow.