Abstract
Purpose :
In trumpet playing the intraocular pressure (IOP) is temporarily increased. According to previous findings the central retinal vein pressure (CRVP) is higher than the IOP at increased airway pressure (AirP), e.g., in the Valsalva maneuver. Cardiovascular changes in high-resistance wind instrument playing are similar to those caused by a Valsalva maneuver. In this study we measured the AirP, IOP and CRVP in amateur trumpet playing shortly after tone onset.
Methods :
Subjects: 20 amateur trumpet players. Left eyes. Descriptive data in Tab. 1. Musical motor task: sustained playing of the tone Bb1 on a Bb-trumpet at moderate loudness, three times (termed “test run”, “run 1”, “run 2”), respectively. Playing-related measurements within 1 min after tone onset. Measurement methods: AirP by a pressure transducer (Foehr Medical Instruments, Seeheim-Jugenheim, Germany) and strip chart recorder. CRVP by Contact Lens Dynamometry (Imedos, Jena, Germany), IOP by Perkins applanation tonometry (Keeler, Windsor, UK). Systemic blood pressure (BP) by oscillatory upper arm cuff method (Omron 5). Consecutive procedures/measurements: Mydriasis; baseline: BP, IOP, CRVP; Playing (test run): IOP; Rest; Playing (run 1): 3 times CRVP+AirP+BP; Rest; IOP, BP; Playing (run 2): 3 times CRVP+AirP+BP; Rest; IOP, BP. Mean blood pressure in the ophthalmic artery (BPoph) calculated as: Mean BPoph=2/3 mean BP. Retinal perfusion (PPret) pressure calculated as: PPret=BPoph-CRVP.
Results :
Tab. 2 shows the descriptive statistics of the results (for baseline and run 1; results for run 2 are similar to those of run 1). Compared to baseline, CRVP significantly increased and PPret decreased in run 1 and 2 (Friedman tests and posthoc Wilcoxon tests; all p-values < 0.01, Bonferroni-corrected). IOP did not increase significantly. AirP did not correlate with CRVP (Spearman-ρ=0.231, p=0.33) or with ΔCRVP (Spearman-ρ=0.258, p=0.27).
Conclusions :
: CRVP increased and PPret decreased in amateur trumpet playing compared to baseline in a music-relevant motor task at the instrument. IOP did not change significantly, possibly because playing-related measurements were done shortly after tone onset. In contrast, significant IOP increases in previous reports were seen after longer periods of trumpet playing. We conclude that amateur trumpet playing has a stronger impact on the retinal and optic nerve head circulation than previously assumed by considering the IOP only.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.