Valutazione ecografica degli indici di resistività (RI) e di pulsatilità (PI) delle arterie oculari e della biometria oculare nei cani affetti da Leishmaniosi

Canine leishmaniosis is a protozoan disease endemic in the Mediterranean area, caused by Leishmania infantum. It is a chronic and severe systemic disease with various manifestation, one of these being ocular lesions. Pulsed Wave Doppler ultrasonography provides indirect information about ocular and orbital vascular flow resistance through the measurements of the Resistive (RI) e and the Pulsatility (PI) indices. The main purposes of the present study were to evaluate the ophthalmic and ciliary artery resistance and to determine the prevalence and type of ocular lesions in a population of dogs naturally infected by Leishmania infantum, before and after medical therapy. 18 dogs naturally infected by Leishmania infantum and 15 healthy dogs as a control group were included in this prospective clinical study. The results showed that ocular flow resistance was significantly higher in the sick dogs compared to the control group and that ocular and periocular tissues were affected in 83% of dogs with systemic Leishmaniasis. The ocular lesions improved or completely resolved and mean PI returned within the reference limits following the therapy, on the contrary, the mean RI remained high in dogs who have undergone therapy. Microcirculatory involvement is well recognised in canine Leishmaniasis, assessment of vascular ocular RI and PI could be a useful tool for assessing disease activity and for monitoring response to treatment.