Extraocular Blood Flow and Endothelin-1 Plasma Levels in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

• Published in: European neurology Vol. 49; no. 3; pp. 164 - 168
• Main Authors: Pache, Mona, Kaiser, Hedwig J., Akhalbedashvili, Nino, Lienert, Carmen, Dubler, Barbara, Kappos, Ludwig, Flammer, Josef
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland Karger 01.01.2003; S. Karger AG
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Flow Velocity; Ciliary Arteries - diagnostic imaging; Ciliary Arteries - physiopathology; Endothelin-1 - blood; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Multiple Sclerosis - diagnostic imaging; Multiple Sclerosis - physiopathology; Multiple sclerosis and variants. Guillain barré syndrome and other inflammatory polyneuropathies. Leukoencephalitis; Neurology; Ophthalmic Artery - diagnostic imaging; Ophthalmic Artery - physiopathology; Original Paper; Regional Blood Flow; Retinal Artery - diagnostic imaging; Retinal Artery - physiopathology; Retinal Vein - diagnostic imaging; Retinal Vein - physiopathology; Retinal Vessels - diagnostic imaging; Retinal Vessels - physiopathology; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; Multiple sclerosis; Extraocular blood flow; Color Doppler imaging; Endothelin-1; Sonography; Human; Doppler ultrasound study; Regional blood flow; Nervous system diseases; Pathophysiology; Exploration; Endothelin 1; Inflammatory disease; Blood plasma; Central nervous system disease; Adult; Hemodynamics
• ISSN: 0014-3022; 1421-9913
• DOI: 10.1159/000069085

In order to evaluate whether plasma levels of the potent vasoconstrictor endothelin-1 (ET-1) are increased in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and whether these patients exhibit an ET-1-mediated vascular dysregulation, ET-1 plasma levels were measured in 30 patients with MS. Blood flow velocities in the ophthalmic artery, central retinal artery, central retinal vein, short lateral posterior ciliary artery, and short medial posterior ciliary artery were assessed in parallel. ET-1 plasma levels were significantly increased in MS patients when compared to sex- and age-matched healthy controls (2.0 ± 0.4 pg/ml, range 1.1–2.8 vs. 1.5 ± 0.2 pg/ml, range 0.9–2.0; p < 0.001). Moreover, the patients exhibited significant alterations of extraocular blood flow. The role of ET-1 in the inflammatory process remains to be clarified.