Alterations in retinal pulse wave velocity under experimental ocular hypertension

Impairments of blood flow and autoregulation have been implicated in diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Thus, identifying biomarkers of retinal vascular compliance and regulatory capacity is of potential value for under-standing the pathophysiology and evaluating onset or progression of disease. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) rep-resents the speed of the pulse-propagated pressure wave within blood vessels and has shown promise as a marker of vascular compliance. The purpose of the current study was to report a method for comprehensive assessment of retinal PWV based on spectral analysis of pulsatile intravascular intensity waveforms and determine alter-ations due to experimental ocular hypertension. Retinal PWV was linearly related to vessel diameter. Increased retinal PWV was associated with elevated intraocular pressure. Retinal PWV has the potential to serve as a vasoregulation biomarker for investigating vascular factors that contribute to the development of retinal diseases in animal models.

Automated summary

Impairments of blood flow and autoregulation are associated with diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Identifying biomarkers of retinal vascular compliance and regulatory capacity has potential value for understanding the pathophysiology and evaluating disease onset or progression. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a marker of vascular compliance and has shown promise as a biomarker. This study proposes a method for comprehensive assessment of retinal PWV using spectral analysis and investigates alterations due to ocular hypertension. Retinal PWV is linearly related to vessel diameter and increased PWV is associated with elevated intraocular pressure. It has the potential to serve as a vasoregulation biomarker for investigating vascular factors in retinal diseases.