TY - JOUR A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Lanzl, Ines M. A1 - Hanssen, Henner A1 - Eberhardt, Karla A1 - Vilser, Walthard A1 - Halle, Martin A1 - Heemann, Uwe A1 - Schmidt-Trucksäss, Arno A1 - Baumann, Marcus T1 - Does increased blood pressure rather than aging influence retinal pulse wave velocity? JF - Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, IOVS N2 - 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. Y1 - 2012 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1167/iovs.11-8815 SN - 0146-0404 VL - 53 IS - 4 SP - 2119 EP - 2126 PB - ARVO CY - Rockville, Md. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Nagel, Edgar A1 - Vilser, Walthard A1 - Seidova, Seid-Fatima A1 - Lanzl, Ines T1 - Microstructural alterations of retinal arterial blood column along the vessel axis in systemic hypertension JF - Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, IOVS N2 - Purpose: Image analysis by the retinal vessel analyzer (RVA) observes retinal vessels in their dynamic state online noninvasively along a chosen vessel segment. It has been found that high-frequency diameter changes in the retinal artery blood column along the vessel increase significantly in anamnestically healthy volunteers with increasing age and in patients with glaucoma during vascular dilation. This study was undertaken to investigate whether longitudinal sections of the retinal artery blood column are altered in systemic hypertension. Methods: Retinal arteries of 15 untreated patients with essential arterial hypertension (age, 50.9 ± 11.9 years) and of 15 age-matched anamnestically healthy volunteers were examined by RVA. After baseline assessment, a monochromatic luminance flicker (530–600 nm; 12.5 Hz; 20 s) was applied to evoke retinal vasodilation. Differences in amplitude and frequency of spatial artery blood column diameter change along segments (longitudinal arterial profiles) of 1 mm in length were measured and analyzed using Fourier transformation. Results: In the control group, average reduced power spectra (ARPS) of longitudinal arterial profiles did not differ when arteries changed from constriction to dilation. In the systemic hypertension group, ARPS during constriction, baseline, and restoration were identical and differed from ARPS during dilation (P < 0.05). Longitudinal arterial profiles in both groups showed significant dissimilitude at baseline and restoration (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The retinal artery blood column demonstrates microstructural alterations in systemic hypertension and is less irregular along the vessel axis during vessel dilation. These microstructural changes may be an indication of alterations in vessel wall rigidity, vascular endothelial function, and smooth muscle cells in this disease, leading to impaired perfusion and regulation. Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1167/iovs.09-3649 SN - 0146-0404 VL - 51 IS - 4 SP - 2165 EP - 2172 PB - ARVO CY - Rockville, Md. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Lanzl, Ines M. T1 - Can vascular function be assessed by the interpretation of retinal vascular diameter changes? JF - Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, IOVS. 52 (2011), H. 1 Y1 - 2011 SN - 0146-0404 SP - 635 EP - 636 PB - ARVO CY - Rockville, Md. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Mücke, Bruno A1 - Vilser, Walthard A1 - Schilling, Rudolf T1 - Effect of aging on retinal artery blood column diameter measured along the vessel axis / Kotliar, Konstantin E. ; Mücke, Bruno ; Vilser, Walthard ; Schilling, Rudolf ; Lanzl, Ines M. JF - Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, IOVS. 49 (2008), H. 5 Y1 - 2008 SN - 0146-0404 SP - 2094 EP - 2102 PB - - ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hanssen, H. A1 - Nickel, T. A1 - Drexel, V. A1 - Hertel, G. A1 - Emslander, I. A1 - Sisic, Z. A1 - Lorang, D. A1 - Schuster, T. A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Pressler, A. A1 - Schmidt-Trucksäss, A. A1 - Weis, M. A1 - Halle, M. T1 - Exercise-induced alterations of retinal vessel diameters and cardiovascular risk reduction in obesity JF - Atherosclerosis Y1 - 2011 SN - 0021-9150 VL - 216 IS - 2 SP - 433 EP - 439 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER -