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Alasbali T. Current State of Knowledge in Ocular Blood Flow in Glaucoma: A Narrative Review. Clin Ophthalmol 2023; 17:2599-2607. [PMID: 37671333 PMCID: PMC10476666 DOI: 10.2147/opth.s426709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Glaucoma is a multifactorial disease that is dependent on Intra Ocular Pressure (IOP) and associated with risk factors related to reduced ocular blood flow (OBF). In clinical practice, it is instrumental to update and review the considerable evidence of the current imaging technologies utilized in the investigation of OBF involved in both the onset and progression of glaucoma. Bibliographic databases, including PubMed and Google Scholar, were searched for articles on OBF techniques published between 2018 and 2023 using keywords such as "ocular blood flow", "glaucoma", "invasive ocular blood flow measurement", and "non-invasive ocular blood flow measurement". All types of methodologies were considered, except for editorials, letters to the editor, and animal studies. This review provides comprehensive information on the recent state-of-the-art imaging innovations used to monitor and measure the ocular blood flow in glaucoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tariq Alasbali
- Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Arterial Hypertension and the Hidden Disease of the Eye: Diagnostic Tools and Therapeutic Strategies. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14112200. [PMID: 35683999 PMCID: PMC9182467 DOI: 10.3390/nu14112200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypertension is a major cardiovascular risk factor that is responsible for a heavy burden of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A critical aspect of cardiovascular risk estimation in hypertensive patients depends on the assessment of hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD), namely the generalized structural and functional changes in major organs induced by persistently elevated blood pressure values. The vasculature of the eye shares several common structural, functional, and embryological features with that of the heart, brain, and kidney. Since retinal microcirculation offers the unique advantage of being directly accessible to non-invasive and relatively simple investigation tools, there has been considerable interest in the development and modernization of techniques that allow the assessment of the retinal vessels’ structural and functional features in health and disease. With the advent of artificial intelligence and the application of sophisticated physics technologies to human sciences, consistent steps forward have been made in the study of the ocular fundus as a privileged site for diagnostic and prognostic assessment of diverse disease conditions. In this narrative review, we will recapitulate the main ocular imaging techniques that are currently relevant from a clinical and/or research standpoint, with reference to their pathophysiological basis and their possible diagnostic and prognostic relevance. A possible non pharmacological approach to prevent the onset and progression of retinopathy in the presence of hypertension and related cardiovascular risk factors and diseases will also be discussed.
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Rizzoni D, Mengozzi A, Masi S, Agabiti Rosei C, De Ciuceis C, Virdis A. New Noninvasive Methods to Evaluate Microvascular Structure and Function. Hypertension 2022; 79:874-886. [PMID: 35114816 DOI: 10.1161/hypertensionaha.121.17954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The structural and functional alterations of microvessels are detected because of physiological aging and in several cardiometabolic diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. The small resistance arteries of these patients show an increase in the media or total wall thickness to internal lumen diameter ratio (MLR or WLR), often accompanied by endothelial dysfunction. For decades, micromyography has been considered as a gold standard method for evaluating microvascular structural alterations through the measurement of MLR or WLR of subcutaneous small vessels dissected from tissue biopsies. Micromyography is the most common and reliable method for assessing microcirculatory endothelial function ex vivo, while strain-gauge venous plethysmography is considered the reference technique for in vivo studies. Recently, several noninvasive methods have been proposed to extend the microvasculature evaluation to a broader range of patients and clinical settings. Scanning laser Doppler flowmetry and adaptive optics are increasingly used to estimate the WLR of retinal arterioles. Microvascular endothelial function may be evaluated in the retina by flicker light stimulus, in the finger by tonometric approaches, or in the cutaneous or sublingual tissues by laser Doppler flowmetry or intravital microscopy. The main limitation of these techniques is the lack of robust evidence on their prognostic value, which currently reduces their widespread use in daily clinical practice. Ongoing and future studies will overcome this issue, hopefully moving the noninvasive assessment of the microvascular function and structure from bench to bedside.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damiano Rizzoni
- Clinica Medica, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Italy (D.R., C.A., C.D.C.).,Division of Medicine, Spedali Civili di Brescia, Montichiari (Brescia), Italy (D.R.)
| | - Alessandro Mengozzi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy (A.M., S.M., A.V.).,Institute of Life Science, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy (A.M.)
| | - Stefano Masi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy (A.M., S.M., A.V.).,Institute of Cardiovascular Science, University College London, United Kingdom (S.M.)
| | - Claudia Agabiti Rosei
- Clinica Medica, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Italy (D.R., C.A., C.D.C.)
| | - Carolina De Ciuceis
- Clinica Medica, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Italy (D.R., C.A., C.D.C.)
| | - Agostino Virdis
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy (A.M., S.M., A.V.)
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