@article{PresslerEsefeldScherretal.2010,
  author    = {Pressler, Axel and Esefeld, Katrin and Scherr, Johannes and Ali, Mohammad and Hanssen, Henner and Kotliar, Konstantin and Lanzl, Ines and Halle, Martin and Kaemmerer, Harald and Schmidt-Trucks{\"a}ss, Arno and Hager, Alfred},
  title     = {Structural alterations of retinal arterioles in adults late after repair of aortic isthmic coarctation},
  series = {The American Journal of Cardiology},
  volume    = {105},
  journal   = {The American Journal of Cardiology},
  number    = {5},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0002-9149},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.amjcard.2009.10.070},
  pages     = {740 -- 744},
  year      = {2010},
  abstract  = {Patients after coarctation repair still have an increased risk of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events. This has been explained by the persisting hypertension and alterations in the peripheral vessels. However, involvement of the central vessels such as the retinal arteries is virtually unknown. A total of 34 patients after coarctation repair (22 men and 12 women; 23 to 58 years old, age range 0 to 32 years at surgical repair) and 34 nonhypertensive controls underwent structural and functional retinal vessel analysis. Using structural analysis, the vessel diameters were measured. Using functional analysis, the endothelium-dependent vessel dilation in response to flicker light stimulation was assessed. In the patients after coarctation repair, the retinal arteriolar diameter was significantly reduced compared to that of the controls (median 182 μm, first to third quartile 171 to 197; vs 197 μm, first to third quartile 193 to 206; p <0.001). These findings were independent of the peripheral blood pressure and age at intervention. No differences were found for venules. The functional analysis findings were not different between the patients and controls (maximum dilation 3.5\%, first to third quartile 2.1\% to 4.5\% vs 3.6\%, first to third quartile 2.2\% to 4.3\%; p = 0.81), indicating preserved autoregulative mechanisms. In conclusion, the retinal artery diameter is reduced in patients after coarctation repair, independent of their current blood pressure level and age at intervention. As a structural marker of chronic vessel damage associated with past, current, or future hypertension, retinal arteriolar narrowing has been linked to stroke incidence. These results indicate an involvement of cerebral microcirculation in aortic coarctation, despite timely repair, and might contribute to explain the increased rate of cerebrovascular events in such patients.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KotliarLanzlSchmidtTrucksaessetal.2011,
  author    = {Kotliar, Konstantin and Lanzl, Ines M. and Schmidt-Trucks{\"a}ss, A. and Sitnikova, Diana and Ali, Mohammad and Blume, Katharina and Halle, Martin and Hansser, Henner},
  title     = {Dynamic retinal vessel response to flicker in obesity: A methodological approach},
  series = {Microvascular Research},
  volume    = {81},
  journal   = {Microvascular Research},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0026-2862},
  pages     = {123 -- 128},
  year      = {2011},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LanzlSeidovaMaieretal.2011,
  author    = {Lanzl, Ines M. and Seidova, Seid-Fatima and Maier, Mathias and Schmidt-Trucks{\"a}ss, Arno and Halle, Martin and Kotliar, Konstantin},
  title     = {Dynamic retinal vessel response to flicker in age-related macular degeneration patients before and after vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor injection},
  series = {Acta Ophthalmologica},
  volume    = {89},
  journal   = {Acta Ophthalmologica},
  number    = {5},
  publisher = {Wiley},
  address   = {Weinheim},
  isbn      = {1755-3768},
  pages     = {472 -- 479},
  year      = {2011},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KotliarLanzlHanssenetal.2012,
  author    = {Kotliar, Konstantin and Lanzl, Ines M. and Hanssen, Henner and Eberhardt, Karla and Vilser, Walthard and Halle, Martin and Heemann, Uwe and Schmidt-Trucks{\"a}ss, Arno and Baumann, Marcus},
  title     = {Does increased blood pressure rather than aging influence retinal pulse wave velocity?},
  series = {Investigative Ophthalmology \& Visual Science, IOVS},
  volume    = {53},
  journal   = {Investigative Ophthalmology \& Visual Science, IOVS},
  number    = {4},
  publisher = {ARVO},
  address   = {Rockville, Md.},
  issn      = {0146-0404},
  doi       = {10.1167/iovs.11-8815},
  pages     = {2119 -- 2126},
  year      = {2012},
  abstract  = {Purpose: It was demonstrated previously that retinal pulse wave velocity (rPWV) as a measure of retinal arterial stiffness is increased in aged anamnestically healthy volunteers compared with young healthy subjects. Using novel methodology of rPWV assessment this finding was confirmed and investigated whether it might relate to the increased blood pressure usually accompanying the aging process, rather than to the aging itself. Methods: A total of 12 young 25.5-year-old (24.0-28.8) [median(1st quartile-3rd quartile)] and 12 senior 68.5-year-old (63.8-71.8) anamnestically healthy volunteers; and 12 senior 63.0-year-old (60.8-65.0) validated healthy volunteers and 12 young 33.0-year-old (29.5-35.0) hypertensive patients were examined. Time-dependent alterations of vessel diameter were assessed by the Dynamic Vessel Analyzer in a retinal artery of each subject. The data were filtered and processed using mathematical signal analysis and rPWVs were calculated. Results: rPWV amounted to 1200 (990-1470) RU (relative units)/s in the hypertensive group and to 1040 (700-2230) RU/s in anamnestically healthy seniors. These differed significantly from rPWVs in young healthy group (410 [280-500] RU/s) and in validated healthy seniors (400 [320-510] RU/s). rPWV associated with age and mean arterial pressure (MAP) in the pooled cohort excluded validated healthy seniors. In a regression model these associations remain when alternately adjusted for MAP and age. When including validated healthy seniors in the pooled cohort only association with MAP remains. Conclusions: Both aging (with not excluded cardiovascular risk factors) and mild hypertension are associated with elevated rPWV. rPWV increases to a similar extent both in young mildly hypertensive subjects and in aged anamnestically healthy persons. Healthy aging is not associated with increased rPWV.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KotliarHanssenEberhardtetal.2013,
  author    = {Kotliar, Konstantin and Hanssen, Henner and Eberhardt, Karla and Vilser, Walthard and Schmaderer, Christoph and Halle, Martin and Heemann, Uwe and Baumann, M.},
  title     = {Retinal pulse wave velocity in young male normotensive and mildly hypertensive subjects},
  series = {Microcirculation},
  journal   = {Microcirculation},
  publisher = {Wiley},
  address   = {Malden},
  issn      = {1549-8719},
  year      = {2013},
  language  = {en}
}