Assesment of Microcirculatory Function with Retrobulbar Blood Flow Velocity Measurement Predicting Cardiovascular Events

Atherosclerosis first begins in the endothelium of the arterial wall, and is described as an inflammatory disease. Although atherosclerotic lesions occur in large arteries, the increased expression of adhesion molecules characteristic of endothelial cell activation, the decreased endothelium-dependent vasodilatation as well as oxidative stress are not limited to lesion-prone arteries where factors other than endothelial cell activation might progress to detect atheroma formation. Microvascular endothelial cell activation might be directly stimulated by cardiovascular risk factors with consequent release of inflammatory mediators and soluble isoforms of adhesion molecules that detect microvascular dysfunction and the atherosclerosis-associated systemic inflammatory state. The quantification of retrobulbar blood flow velocity has been used to analyze the microvascular circulation of the eye. Structural and functional changes in various microvascular beds can predict CV risk factors and diseases.