Conjunctival Venular Hemodynamic Biomarkers in Glaucoma.
Yang Albert, Cano Jennifer, Xu Benjamin, Shahidi Mahnaz
AI Summary
This study found reduced conjunctival venular blood flow dynamics (velocity, shear rate, stress) in glaucoma patients, suggesting endothelial dysfunction. This non-invasive measure could be a novel biomarker for glaucoma's vascular damage.
Abstract
Purpose
Vascular dysfunction is considered a factor contributing to glaucomatous damage. Imaging the bulbar conjunctiva offers a noninvasive approach for directly assessing systemic microcirculation. The purpose of the current study was to test the hypothesis that there is an association between alterations in conjunctival venular hemodynamic biomarkers and presence of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).
Methods
This cross-sectional study included 26 normal control (NC) and 29 POAG subjects. Conjunctival microcirculation was assessed non-invasively by combining video microscopy and an automated software to measure the following conjunctival venular hemodynamic biomarkers: vessel diameter (D), blood velocity (V), blood flow (Q), wall shear rate (WSR), and wall shear stress (WSS).
Results
Age differed between NC and POAG groups (P < 0.001), while other ocular and systemic factors were not significantly different (P ≥ 0.05). Conjunctival venular V, WSR, and WSS were significantly reduced in POAG compared to NC, both with and without adjusting for covariates and accounting for multiple comparisons (adjusted P ≤ 0.03). In the adjusted models, the differences in conjunctival venular D and Q between NC and POAG groups were not significant (P ≥ 0.16).
Conclusions
The finding of reduced conjunctival venular wall shear stress in POAG supports the vascular theory of glaucoma, implicating endothelial dysfunction. Conjunctival wall shear stress may serve as a novel biomarker for glaucomatous vascular damage.
Translational relevance: Assessment of microvasculature wall shear stress may serve as a novel biomarker of endothelium function with the potential to improve the understanding, diagnosis and monitoring of glaucoma and other optic neuropathies.
MeSH Terms
Shields Classification
Key Concepts6
A cross-sectional study of 26 normal control (NC) subjects and 29 primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) subjects found that conjunctival venular blood velocity (V), wall shear rate (WSR), and wall shear stress (WSS) were significantly reduced in POAG compared to NC, both with and without adjusting for covariates and accounting for multiple comparisons (adjusted P ≤ 0.03).
A cross-sectional study of 26 normal control (NC) subjects and 29 primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) subjects found that in adjusted models, the differences in conjunctival venular diameter (D) and blood flow (Q) between NC and POAG groups were not significant (P ≥ 0.16).
The finding of reduced conjunctival venular wall shear stress in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) supports the vascular theory of glaucoma, implicating endothelial dysfunction.
Conjunctival wall shear stress may serve as a novel biomarker for glaucomatous vascular damage in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).
A cross-sectional study of 26 normal control (NC) subjects and 29 primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) subjects found that age differed between the NC and POAG groups (P < 0.001).
Assessment of microvasculature wall shear stress may serve as a novel biomarker of endothelium function with the potential to improve the understanding, diagnosis, and monitoring of glaucoma and other optic neuropathies.
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