Evaluation of retrobulbar blood flow by color doppler ultrasonography after intravitreal ranibizumab injection in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration

Purpose. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in retrobulbar blood flow by using color Doppler sonography in patients who had undergone intravitreal ranibizumab injection for neovascular age‐related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods. The study comprised 37 AMD patients who had undergone intravitreal 0.5 mg ranibizumab injection. The ophthalmic artery, central retinal artery, and short lateral posterior ciliary artery of both eyes of patients were evaluated by color Doppler sonography. Peak systolic velocity, end‐diastolic velocity, and resistance index were calculated before injection, and after injection on day 7 and day 30. The pre‐ and postinjection values were compared using Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results. In a comparison with the preinjection values of peak systolic velocity, end‐diastolic velocity, and resistance index, the postinjection values at both day 7 and day 30 showed no statistically significant difference in ophthalmic artery, lateral posterior ciliary artery, and central retinal artery (p > 0.05). Similarly, for the same parameters, pre‐ and postinjection values in the uninjected fellow eye showed no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05). Conclusions. Intravitreal ranibizumab injection for neovascular AMD does not cause a significant change in the retrobulbar blood flow in either the injected eye or the fellow eye. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 2013