Increases in central retinal artery blood flow in humans following carotid artery and stellate ganglion irradiation with 0.6 to 1.6 microm irradiation.

The authors applied near-infrared low-level laser irradiation (LLLI) directed to the stellate ganglion (SG) and to the common carotid artery (CCA), and compared the effects on central retinal artery blood flow using color pulse Doppler sonography. In 10 healthy volunteers, LLLI (0.92 W, 1 : 1 duty cycle, 10 min) to both the SG and CCA significantly increased peak systolic blood velocity in the ophthalmic artery (p<0.001, each) and central retinal artery (p<0.001, each) without changes in vessel resistance. Irradiation to the CCA produced a stronger effect than that to the SG in the ophthalmic artery (p=0.007) and central retinal artery (p=0.031). These data suggest that LLLI to the SG or to the CCA is a useful therapy for increasing the retrobulbar blood flow, with irradiation directed to the CCA being more effective than that directed to the SG in clinical settings.