Abstract

SA.23.07

Retinal vasomotions and venous pulsation in untreated AMD

Konstantin Kotliar, Mathias Maier, Chris P. Lohmann, Ines Lanzl
Augenklinik, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, München

Objective
Continuous temporal retinal vessel diameter changes can be mathematically analyzed using signal processing. Diameter of retinal vessels in untreated patients with age-related macular degeneration and age similar healthy volunteers were measured continuously with the Dynamic Vessel Analyzer (DVA). The data was processed and compared.
Methods
Time dependent retinal vessel reaction was measured in the right eye of 14 AMD patients 78,5(75,5;81,0) years old (median(1.quartile;3.quartile)) and 14 medically healthy seniors 65,5(64,3;67,8) years old. Vessel diameters of retinal vessel segments were examined with DVA during 40 s. Oscillatory vessel diameter changes were divided into high-frequency (period <1,5 s) and low-frequency ones (period of >1,5 s).
Results
Retinal arterial diameter was different in both groups (p<0,05): 110,8(98,5;116,5)MU (AMD) and 121,2(106,9;135,4)MU (control). Both in veins and in arteries low-frequency oscillations show a less expressed periodicity in AMD patients: 0,120(0,104;0,129) (arteries), 0,175(0,153;0,257) (veins), compared to the control group: 0,235(0,149; 0,578) (arteries); 0,335(0,153;0,910) (veins), p<0,07. High-frequency venous oscillations in AMD showed a less expressed periodicity compared to the control group (p<0,05): 0,111(0,075;0,168) and 0,208(0,095;0,406) correspondingly.
Conclusions
Low-frequency oscillations of vessel diameter include myogenic vasomotions with a period of 6-15 s. They were well expressed in healthy seniors and impaired in AMD patients. High-frequency oscillations correspond to the heart pulse rate. The high-frequency changes in venous diameter correspond to the venous pulsation, which was less pronounced and less periodic in AMD group. Our results can represent possible reasons for vascular disorders in AMD.

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