Background and objectives: The goal was to evaluate the association of dynamic retinal vessel analysis (DVA) with echocardiographic parameters assessing systolic and diastolic function of the left ventricle in hypertension (HT) patients with preserved left ventricle ejection fraction.
Materials and methods: This observational retrospective study recruited 36 patients with HT and 28 healthy controls. Retinal vessel diameter and reactions to flicker light were examined. Each patient was examined with echocardiography to assess left ventricular systolic and diastolic function.
Results: Multivariate analysis revealed that hypertension was an independent factor associated with lower flicker-induced arterial vasodilatation (β = -0.31, p = 0.029). In the HT group, there was a significant positive association between left ventricular ejection fraction and flicker-induced arterial vasodilation (Rs = +0.31, p = 0.007). Additionally, end-diastolic left ventricular diameter negatively correlated with both arterial (Rs = -0.26, p = 0.02) and venous (Rs = -0.27, p = 0.02) flicker responses. Additionally, the echocardiographic characteristics of the left atrium (LA) remodeling in the course of HT, including the area of the LA and its antero-posterior dimension, were both negatively correlated with the arterial flicker response (Rs = -0.34, p = 0.003; Rs = -0.33, p = 0.004, respectively). From tissue Doppler parameters, the left ventricular filling index E/e' negatively correlated with AVR (arteriovenous ratio) values (Rs = -0.36, p = 0.002).
Conclusions: We revealed that systolic and diastolic function of the left ventricle in hypertensive patients is associated with retinal microvascular function.
Keywords: dynamic vessel analysis—DVA; echocardiography; endothelial dysfunction; heart failure with preserved ejection fraction; hypertension; left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction; microvascular disease; retinal microvascular imaging—RVA.