Advancing Retinal Vessel Analysis: Reproducibility of Myogenic Constriction and Assessment of Regulatory Capacity.
E, F., C, H., W, V., L, S., & H, H. (2026). Advancing Retinal Vessel Analysis: Reproducibility of Myogenic Constriction and Assessment of Regulatory Capacity.. Translational vision science & technology. https://doi.org/10.1167/tvst.15.7.4
E F, C H, W V, L S, H H. Advancing Retinal Vessel Analysis: Reproducibility of Myogenic Constriction and Assessment of Regulatory Capacity.. Translational vision science & technology. 2026; doi: 10.1167/tvst.15.7.4
E F, C H, W V, et al. Advancing Retinal Vessel Analysis: Reproducibility of Myogenic Constriction and Assessment of Regulatory Capacity.[J]. Translational vision science & technology. 2026. DOI: 10.1167/tvst.15.7.4.
@article{e2026,
author = {Fleischlin E and Hauser C and Vilser W and Streese L and Hanssen H},
title = {Advancing Retinal Vessel Analysis: Reproducibility of Myogenic Constriction and Assessment of Regulatory Capacity.},
journal = {Translational vision science & technology},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1167/tvst.15.7.4},
note = {PMID: 42405692},
}
TY - JOUR AU - Fleischlin E AU - Hauser C AU - Vilser W AU - Streese L AU - Hanssen H TI - Advancing Retinal Vessel Analysis: Reproducibility of Myogenic Constriction and Assessment of Regulatory Capacity. T2 - Translational vision science & technology PY - 2026 DO - 10.1167/tvst.15.7.4 AN - PMID:42405692 ER -
PURPOSE: Accurate characterization of retinal microvascular autoregulation requires reliable assessment of both vasodilatory and vasoconstrictive responses. Although blood pressure (BP)-induced vasoconstriction is well recognized, its measurement lacks reproducibility data, limiting its translational applicability. This study aimed to establish and validate a standardized framework for quantifying BP-induced vasoconstriction and to introduce the control range as a novel metric for retinal microvascular regulatory capacity. METHODS: Healthy adults were assessed twice, one week apart. Retinal vessel diameters were continuously measured during isometric handgrip exercise at sub- and maximal contractions to induce BP elevations. Changes in arterial vessel diameters were extracted by subtracting the mean of the lowest 3 seconds from the baseline diameter. Additionally, flicker light-induced dilation was measured, and the range between maximal dilatation and constriction was calculated. Intra-individual reproducibility was assessed via intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: Twenty-four participants (13 males, 11 females; 43.4 ± 15.1 years) were included. The average reduction in vessel diameter during the maximal handgrip phase was -6.15 ± 3.89 µm (P < 0.01). The intra-individual ICC was 0.87 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74-0.95). Based on the independent behavior of vasodilatory and vasoconstrictive responses, the quantified control range was defined as the dynamic range between maximal flicker-induced dilation and pressure-related constriction. CONCLUSIONS: This standardized approach enables reproducible quantification of retinal myogenic constriction. The control range may serve as a measure of microvascular regulatory capacity. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: A standardized and reproducible assessment of retinal myogenic constriction and regulatory capacity has the potential for clinical implementation in the risk stratification of cardiovascular disease.