Color Doppler imaging provides accurate assessment of orbital blood flow in occlusive carotid artery disease.

Color Doppler imaging was used to evaluate the hemodynamics of the ophthalmic vasculature in a case of complete internal carotid artery occlusion. This procedure, which allows rapid, noninvasive imaging, showed a partial ophthalmic artery obstruction with absent flow in the central retinal artery, central retinal vein, and nasal posterior ciliary arteries. Although altered perfusion of the retinal vessels may be evaluated clinically, assessment of blood flow in the ophthalmic and ciliary arteries previously could be evaluated only indirectly by intravenous fluorescein angiography. The color Doppler imaging findings were confirmed by intravenous fluorescein angiography and carotid arteriography. Color Doppler imaging represents a noninvasive method to diagnose abnormal blood flow of the ophthalmic artery and its branches and to evaluate serial changes of the circulation in a noninvasive manner.