Biomicroscopy of the bulbar conjunctiva: the possibilities of the method in assessing microcirculatory disorders in systemic sclerosis

Abstract

Relevance. In this article, the authors draw the attention of readers to the modern possibilities of using the biomicroscopy of the bulbar conjunctiva (BMBC) method in the diagnosis of microcirculatory (MC) disorders in systemic sclerosis (SS). Comparison of BMBC results of patients with SS with a control group allowed us to identify microcirculatory signs of this disease, and comparison the changes detected during nail capillaroscopy (NC) showed additional diagnostic capabilities of the BMBC method. The aim of the study was to identify new MC signs in SS using the BMBC-method, which can be further used to assess the dynamics and search for patterns with the clinical picture. Materials and methods. 48 patients with SS, the average age was 51±1.7 years were examined by BMBC, the ratio of women to men was 46:2, respectively. The control group consisted of healthy individuals without any diseases that could affect to the microcirculatory bed (MCB); the average age was 47.4±2.3 years, and the ratio of women to men was 20:10. The results showed statistically significant changes in angioarchitectonics among patients with SS compared with the control. A significant decrease in the average diameter of arterioles (14.1±0.7 μm) and capillaries (6.6±0.2 μm) was observed in the group of patients with SS compared with the control (16.6±0.6 μm, p=0.0165 and 7.3±0.2 μm, p=0.0356, respectively, for arterioles and capillaries). The decrease in capillaries during SS in four regions of the temporal section of the bulbar conjunctiva was incremental and amounted to: 15.3% in the area of the angle of the eye, 23.3% in the transitional region, 28.1% in the central and 37.9% in the perilimbal in comparison with the control. Conclusions. The BMBC-method is highly informative in the diagnosis of MC-disorders in SS. The main BMBC changes in the MC disorders caused by SS are the disturbance of MCB by the increasing tortuosity of microvessels, the contour discontinuity and the presence of local wall extensions. A peculiarity is the reduction of the capillary bed in all four regions of the temporal section of the bulbar conjunctiva with a maximum in the perilymb area.