ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana - Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2022 January-February;181(1-2):72-9

DOI: 10.23736/S0393-3660.20.04341-7

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Effect of acrobatic pole sport positions on intraocular and ocular perfusion pressure: a pilot study

María GÓMEZ-VALCÁRCEL ¹ ✉, Graciana FUENTES-PÁEZ ², Curt HARTLEBEN ³, Everardo HERNÁNDEZ-QUINTELA ⁴

¹ Angeles del Pedregal Hospital, Mexico City, Mexico; ² Quirón-Teknon Hospital, Barcelona, Spain; ³ Glaucoma Service, Instituto de Oftalmología Conde de Valenciana, Mexico City, Mexico; ⁴ Cornea and Refractive Surgery Service, Dr. Luis Sánchez Bulnes Hospital, Mexico City, Mexico

BACKGROUND: The effects of body position on intraocular pressure (IOP) during a pole sport routine have not been reported. This observational study aimed to assess IOP changes in acrobats and calculate ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) relative to various pole positions.
METHODS: We included healthy pole acrobats with no relevant medical history. Initial biomicroscopy was performed for all acrobats. Body mass index (BMI) was determined, and IOP, cardiac frequency (CF), and arterial blood pressure were recorded at rest, in the prone position, and during the performance of two pole positions. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and OPP were calculated for each position. The Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to compare the results for each position.
RESULTS: Eleven experienced acrobats were included. The mean IOPs at rest and in the prone, sit, and outside hook positions were 15.6±2.3 mmHg, 21.0±3.2 mmHg (P<0.01 vs. rest), 18.3±2.7 mmHg (P=0.007 vs. rest), and 26.1±4.5 mmHg (P<0.01 vs. rest), respectively. The mean CF at rest and in the prone, sit, and outside hook positions were 82.2±5.8 bpm, 79.9±7.4 bpm (P<0.05 vs. rest), 118.5±18.7 bpm (P<0.01 vs. rest), and 106.7±27.3 bpm (P>0.05 vs. rest), respectively. BMI significantly correlated with outside hook systolic MAP (R2=0.78, P<0.01) and OPP (R2=0.51, P<0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: MAP, CF, OPP, and IOP were significantly elevated in certain pole positions. These pole positions involved rapid changes in IOP and increased OPP values. Prospective studies are needed to assess the compensatory effect of OPP in pole positions to prevent optic nerve damage.

KEY WORDS: Arterial pressure; Body Mass Index; Knee joint; Prone position