Retinal vascular morphological characteristics in diabetic retinopathy: an artificial intelligence study using a transfer learning system to analyze ultra-wide field images

AIM:To investigate the morphological characteristics of retinal vessels in patients with different severity of diabetic retinopathy(DR)and in patients with or without diabetic macular edema(DME).METHODS:The 239 eyes of DR patients and 100 eyes of healthy individuals were recruited for the study.The severity of DR patients was graded as mild,moderate and severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy(NPDR)according to the international clinical diabetic retinopathy(ICDR)disease severity scale classification,and retinal vascular morphology was quantitatively analyzed in ultra-wide field images using RU-net and transfer learning methods.The presence of DME was determined by optical coherence tomography(OCT),and differences in vascular morphological characteristics were compared between patients with and without DME.RESULTS:Retinal vessel segmentation using RU-net and transfer learning system had an accuracy of 99%and a Dice metric of 0.76.Compared with the healthy group,the DR group had smaller vessel angles(33.68±3.01 vs 37.78±1.60),smaller fractal dimension(Df)values(1.33±0.05 vs 1.41±0.03),less vessel density(1.12±0.44 vs 2.09±0.36)and fewer vascular branches(206.1±88.8 vs 396.5±91.3),all P<0.001.As the severity of DR increased,Df values decreased,P=0.031.No significant difference between the DME and non-DME groups were observed in vascular morphological characteristics.CONCLUSION:In this study,an artificial intelligence retinal vessel segmentation system is used with 99%accuracy,thus providing with relatively satisfactory performance in the evaluation of quantitative vascular morphology.DR patients have a tendency of vascular occlusion and dropout.The presence of DME does not compromise the integral retinal vascular pattern.

Investigating the relationship between intracranial atherosclerotic plaque remodelling and diabetes using high-resolution vessel wall imaging

BACKGROUND Intracranial atherosclerosis,a leading cause of stroke,involves arterial plaque formation.This study explores the link between plaque remodelling patterns and diabetes using high-resolution vessel wall imaging(HR-VWI).AIM To investigate the factors of intracranial atherosclerotic remodelling patterns and the relationship between intracranial atherosclerotic remodelling and diabetes mellitus using HR-VWI.METHODS Ninety-four patients diagnosed with middle cerebral artery or basilar artery INTRODUCTION Intracranial atherosclerotic disease is one of the main causes of ischaemic stroke in the world,accounting for approx-imately 10%of transient ischaemic attacks and 30%-50%of ischaemic strokes[1].It is the most common factor among Asian people[2].The adaptive changes in the structure and function of blood vessels that can adapt to changes in the internal and external environment are called vascular remodelling,which is a common and important pathological mechanism in atherosclerotic diseases,and the remodelling mode of atherosclerotic plaques is closely related to the occurrence of stroke.Positive remodelling(PR)is an outwards compensatory remodelling where the arterial wall grows outwards in an attempt to maintain a constant lumen diameter.For a long time,it was believed that the degree of stenosis can accurately reflect the risk of ischaemic stroke[3-5].Previous studies have revealed that lesions without significant luminal stenosis can also lead to acute events[6,7],as summarized in a recent meta-analysis study in which approximately 50%of acute/subacute ischaemic events were due to this type of lesion[6].Research[8,9]has pointed out that the PR of plaques is more dangerous and more likely to cause acute ischaemic stroke.Previous studies[10-13]have found that there are specific vascular remodelling phenomena in the coronary and carotid arteries of diabetic patients.However,due to the deep location and small lumen of intracranial arteries and limitations of imaging techniques,the relationship between intracranial arterial remodelling and diabetes is still unclear.In recent years,with the development of magnetic resonance technology and the emergence of high-resolution(HR)vascular wall imaging,a clear and multidimensional display of the intracranial vascular wall has been achieved.Therefore,in this study,HR wall imaging(HR-VWI)was used to display the remodelling characteristics of bilateral middle cerebral arteries and basilar arteries and to explore the factors of intracranial vascular remodelling and its relationship with diabetes.

Exploratory study of non-invasive,high-resolution functional macular imaging in subjects with diabetic retinopathy

AIM:To evaluate a high-resolution functional imaging device that yields quantitative data regarding macular blood flow and capillary network features in eyes with diabetic retinopathy(DR).METHODS:Prospective,cross-sectional comparative case-series in which blood flow velocities(BFVs)and noninvasive capillary perfusion maps(nCPMs)in macular vessels were measured in patients with DR and in healthy controls using the Retinal Functional Imager(RFI)device.RESULTS:A total of 27 eyes of 21 subjects were studied[9 eyes nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy(NPDR),9 eyes proliferative diabetic retinopathy(PDR)and 9 controls].All diabetic patients were type 2.All patients with NPDR and 5 eyes with PDR also had diabetic macular edema(DME).The NPDR group included eyes with severe(n=3)and moderate NPDR(n=6),and were symptomatic.A significant decrease in venular BFVs was observed in the macular region of PDR eyes when compared to controls(2.61±0.6 mm/s and 2.92±0.72 mm/s in PDR and controls,respectively,P=0.019)as well as PDR eyes with DME compared to NPDR eyes(2.36±0.51 mm/s and 2.94±1.09 mm/s in PDR with DME and NPDR,respectively,P=0.01).CONCLUSION:The RFI,a non-invasive imaging tool,provides high-resolution functional imaging of the retinal microvasculature and quantitative measurement of BFVs in visually impaired DR patients.The isolated diminish venular BFVs in PDR eyes compared to healthy eyes and PDR eyes with DME in comparison to NPDR eyes may indicate the possibility of more retinal vein compromise than suspected in advanced DR.

Diagnostic and prognostic utility of non-invasive imaging in diabetes management

Medical imaging technologies are acquiring an increasing relevance to assist clinicians in diagnosis and to guide management and therapeutic treatment of patients, thanks to their non invasive and high resolution properties. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasonography are the most used imaging modalities to provide detailed morphological reconstructions of tissues and organs. In addition, the use of contrast dyes or radionuclide-labeled tracers permits to get functional and quantitative information about tissue physiology and metabolism in normal and disease state. In recent years, the development of multimodal and hydrid imaging techniques is coming to be the new frontier of medical imaging for the possibility to overcome limitations of single modalities and to obtain physiological and pathophysiological measurements within an accurate anatomical framework. Moreover, the employment of molecular probes, such as ligands or antibodies, allows a selective in vivo targeting of biomolecules involved in specific cellular processes, so expanding the potentialities of imaging techniques for clinical and research applications. This review is aimed to give a survey of characteristics of main diagnostic non-invasive imaging techniques. Current clinical appliances and future perspectives of imaging in the diagnostic and prognostic assessment of diabetic complications affecting different organ systems will be particularly addressed.

Can We Predict Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Progression and Rupture by Non-Invasive Imaging?—A Systematic Review

Introduction: The most commonly used predictor of aneurysm behavior in clinical decision-making is size. There are however small aneurysms that rupture and certain large aneurysms remain asymptomatic. There is growing evidence to suggest that other variables may provide better information on metabolic and physiological properties of aortic wall and therefore better predict aneurysm behavior. Methods: The literature was systematically reviewed from 1975-May 2011 to examine the evidence to support the use of non-invasive imaging modalities that might predict aneurysm behavior. Results: Ultrasound can be used to measure multiple dynamic aortic properties (i.e. distensibility and compliance) in addition to diameter. These parameters better predict aneurysm behavior. Computer tomography can utilize assessment of aortic calcification, presence of intra-luminal thrombus and distensibility. Finite element analysis model has been validated in-vivo to calculate peak wall stress, assess effects of intra-luminal thrombus and calcification. It however relies on assumptions related to aneurysm properties and therefore remains relatively inaccurate in the clinical setting. Small numbers of observational human studies have evaluated the role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in aneurysms. Larger studies are needed, as 18F-FDG uptake is patchy and heterogeneous even in small number of patients. It varies in the same patient with time, as aneurysms grow in intermittently. We discuss functional magnetic resonance imaging with novel tracers such as 99 mTc-annexin-V and nanoparticles. Conclusion: Multimodality imaging with complementary methods such as CT, functional MRI (fMRI), ultrasound and physiological measurements improve the definition of aneurysm pathobiology. Larger-scale clinical validation is beginning to promise a new paradigm in cardiovascular diagnostics.

Visualizing the hepatic vascular architecture using superb microvascular imaging in patients with hepatitis C virus: A novel technique

AIM: To identify the hepatic vascular architecture of patients with hepatitis C virus(HCV) using superb microvascular imaging(SMI) and investigate the use of SMI in the evaluation of liver fibrosis.METHODS: SMI was performed in 100 HCV patients. SMI images were classified into five types according to the vascular pattern, and these patterns were compared with the fibrosis stage. Moreover, the images were analyzed to examine vascularity by integrating the number of SMI signals in the region of interest ROI [number of vascular trees(VT)]. The number of VT, fibrosis stage, serum parameters of liver function, and CD34 expression were investigated.RESULTS: There was a significant difference between SMI distribution pattern and fibrosis stage(P < 0.001). The mean VT values in each of the fibrosis stages were as follows: 26.69 ± 7.08 in F0, 27.72 ± 9.32 in F1, 36.74 ± 9.23 in F2, 37.36 ± 5.32 in F3, and 58.14 ± 14.08 in F4. The VT showed excellent diagnostic ability for F4 [area under the receiver operator characteristic(AUROC): 0.911]. The VT was significantly correlated with the CD34 labeling index(r = 0.617, P < 0.0001).CONCLUSION: SMI permitted the detailed delineation of the vascular architecture in chronic liver disease. SMI appears to be a reliable tool for noninvasively detecting significant fibrosis or cirrhosis in HCV patients.

Signal Alteration of Substantia Nigra on 3.0T Susceptibility-weighted Imaging in Parkinson's Disease and Vascular Parkinsonism

Recent researches have found that 7 Tesla SWI can detect the alteration of substantia nigra hyperintensity in Parkinson's disease(PD),multiple system atrophy(MSA),and progressive supranuclear palsy(PSP).The aim of this study was to investigate whether 3 Tesla SWI(3T SWI)can visualize anatomical alterations occurring in a hyperintense structure of the substantia nigra in PD and vascular parkinsonism(VP),and whether the evaluation of abnormal signal can be used as a factor in the differential diagnosis of PD and VP.Using 3 Tesla MRI,we evaluated 38 healthy subjects,33 patients with PD and 34 patients with VP.Two blinded readers independently assessed the images.We found that the dorsolateral nigral hyperintensity was absent in 31 of 33 patients with PD and 15 of 34 patients with VP.The dorsolateral nigral hyperintensity was present in 19 of 34 patients with VP and 35 of 38 healthy controls.Group comparisons of absence of dorsolateral nigral hyperintensity revealed significant differences between the patients with PD and those with VP(P<0.001).The sensitivity of SWI for PD was 93.9%and the specificity was 92.1%.Visual assessment of dorsolateral nigral hyperintensity on high-field SWI scans may serve as a new simple diagnostic imaging marker for PD.And our study results indicate that 3T SWI can be used as a tool to identify PD and VP.

Combination of three-gene immunohistochemical panel and magnetic resonance imaging-detected extramural vascular invasion to assess prognosis in non-advanced rectal cancer patients

AIM To identify a small, clinically applicable immunohistochemistry(IHC) panel that could be combined with magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)-detected extramural vascular invasion(EMVI) for assessment of prognosis concerning the non-advanced rectal cancer patients prior to operation.METHODS About 329 patients with pathologically confirmed rectal carcinoma(RC) were screened in this research, all of whom had been examined via an MRI and were treatment-na?ve from July 2011 to July 2014. The candidate proteins that were reported to be altered by RC were examined in tissues by IHC. All chosen samples were adopted from the fundamental cores of histopathologically confirmed carcinomas during the initial surgeries.RESULTS Of the three proteins that were tested, c-MYC, PCNA and TIMP1 were detected with relatively significant expression in tumors, 35.9%, 23.7% and 58.7% respectively. The expression of the three proteins were closely connected with prognosis(P = 0.032, 0.003, 0.021). The patients could be classified into different outcome groups according to an IHC panel(P < 0.01) via these three proteins. Taking into consideration known survival covariates, especially EMVI, the IHC panel served as an independent prognostic factor. The EMVI combined with the IHC panel could categorize patients into different prognostic groups with distinction(P < 0.01).CONCLUSION These studies argue that this three-protein panel of c-MYC, PCNA, coupled with TIMP1 combined with MRIdetected EMVI could offer extra prognostic details for preoperative treatment of RC.

Cerebrovascular segmentation from mesoscopic optical images using Swin Transformer

Vascular segmentation is a crucial task in biomedical image processing,which is significant for analyzing and modeling vascular networks under physiological and pathological states.With advances in fluorescent labeling and mesoscopic optical techniques,it has become possible to map the whole-mouse-brain vascular networks at capillary resolution.However,segmenting vessels from mesoscopic optical images is a challenging task.The problems,such as vascular signal discontinuities,vessel lumens,and background fluorescence signals in mesoscopic optical images,belong to global semantic information during vascular segmentation.Traditional vascular segmentation methods based on convolutional neural networks(CNNs)have been limited by their insufficient receptive fields,making it challenging to capture global semantic information of vessels and resulting in inaccurate segmentation results.Here,we propose SegVesseler,a vascular segmentation method based on Swin Transformer.SegVesseler adopts 3D Swin Transformer blocks to extract global contextual information in 3D images.This approach is able to maintain the connectivity and topology of blood vessels during segmentation.We evaluated the performance of our method on mouse cerebrovascular datasets generated from three different labeling and imaging modalities.The experimental results demonstrate that the segmentation effect of our method is significantly better than traditional CNNs and achieves state-of-the-art performance.

Deep tissue near-infrared imaging for vascular network analysis

Subcutaneous vein network plays important roles to maintain microcirculation that is related to some diagnostic aspects.Despite developments of optical imaging technologies,still the difficulties about deep skin vascular imaging have been continued.On the other hand,since hemoglobin con-centration of human blood has key role in the veins imaging by optical manner,the used wavelength in vascular imaging,must be chosen considering absorption of hemoglobin.In this research,we constructed a near infrared(NIR)light source because of lower absorption of hemoglobin in this optical region.To obtain vascular image,reflectance geometry was used.Next,from recorded images,vascular network analysis,such as calculation of width of vascular of interest and complexity of selected region were implemented.By comparing with other modalities,we observed that proposed imaging system has great advantages including nonionized radiation,moderate penetration depth of 0.5-3 mm and diameter of 1 mm,cost-effective and algorit hmic simplicity for analysis.

The neuroimaging of neurodegenerative and vascular disease in the secondary prevention of cognitive decline

Structural brain changes indicative of dementia occur up to 20 years before the onset of clinical symptoms. Efforts to modify the disease process after the onset of cognitive symptoms have been unsuccessful in recent years. Thus, future trials must begin during the preclinical phases of the disease before symptom onset. Age related cognitive decline is often the result of two coexisting brain pathologies: Alzheimer's disease(amyloid, tau, and neurodegeneration) and vascular disease. This review article highlights some of the common neuroimaging techniques used to visualize the accumulation of neurodegenerative and vascular pathologies during the preclinical stages of dementia such as structural magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and white matter hyperintensities. We also describe some emerging neuroimaging techniques such as arterial spin labeling, diffusion tensor imaging, and quantitative susceptibility mapping. Recent literature suggests that structural imaging may be the most sensitive and cost-effective marker to detect cognitive decline, while molecular positron emission tomography is primarily useful for detecting disease specific pathology later in the disease process. Currently, the presence of vascular disease on magnetic resonance imaging provides a potential target for optimizing vascular risk reduction strategies, and the presence of vascular disease may be useful when combined with molecular and metabolic markers of neurodegeneration for identifying the risk of cognitive impairment.

Value of superb micro-vascular imaging in predicting ischemic stroke in patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaques

BACKGROUND Unstable carotid atherosclerotic plaques are prone to cause ischemic stroke.Contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS) is the primary method of assessing plaque stability, but CEUS cannot be a method for screening for unstable plaque. The emergence of superb micro-vascular imaging(SMI) offers the possibility of clinically screening for unstable plaque AIM To investigate the value of SMI in predicting ischemic stroke in patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaques.METHODS Patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaques(luminal stenosis of 50%-70%) were enrolled into the present study. All patients received conservative medication.The patient's clinical baseline data, serological data, CEUS and SMI data were analyzed. All patients underwent a 3-year follow-up. The follow-up endpoint was the occurrence of ischemic stroke and patients were divided into stroke group and non-stroke group according to whether the prognosis occurred or not.Subsequently, the difference in clinical data was compared, the correlation of SMI and CEUS was analyzed, and multiple Cox regression and receiver operating characteristic curve were applied to investigate the value of SMI and CEUS in predicting cerebral arterial thrombosis in three years.RESULTS In this study, 43 patients were enrolled in the stroke group and 82 patients were enrolled in the non-stroke group. Cox regression revealed that SMI level(P =0.013) and enhancement intensity(P = 0.032) were the independent factors influencing ischemic stroke. There was a positive correlation between SMI level and enhancement intensity(r = 0.737, P = 0.000). The area under curve of SMI level predicting ischemic stroke was 0.878. The best diagnostic point was ≥ level Ⅱ, and its sensitivity and specificity was 86.05% and 79.27%. The area under curve of enhancement intensity predicting ischemic stroke was 0.890. The best diagnostic point was 9.92 db, and its sensitivity and specificity was 88.37% and89.02%. As the SMI level gradually increased, the incidence of ischemic stroke increased gradually(X^2 = 108.931, P = 0.000).CONCLUSION SMI can be used as a non-invasive method of screening for unstable plaques and may help prevent ischemic stroke.

Evaluation of Ventricular-vascular Coupling in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Using 2-Dimensional Speckle Tracking Imaging

The elastic and functional coupling of heart and vessels makes the stroke work （SW） of the heart optimal. Speckle tracking imaging （STI） can evaluate the myocardial strain and function. We studied ventricular-vascular coupling in 80 diabetic patients with different systolic function using STI. The patients were divided into two groups according to ejection fraction （EF）： the diabetes mel- litus with normal EF （DMN） group and the diabetes mellitus with abnormal EF （DMA） group. Forty-two volunteers served as control group. The relative wall thickness （RWT）, left ventricular mass index （LVMI）, stroke volume （SV）, SW, rate-pressure product （RPP）, systemic vascular resis- tance index （SVRI）, left ventricular end-systolic elastance （Ees）, effective arterial elasticity （Ea） and ventricular-vascular coupling index （VVI） were measured and calculated by conventional echocardi- ography. The longitudinal strain （LS） at basement （LSBA）, papillary muscle （LSvM） and cardiac apex （LSAv） was assessed with STI. It was found： （A） compared with control group, in DMN and DMA groups, LSBA, LSvM and LSAp decreased, and they were lower in DMA group. （B） VVI, RPP and SVRI increased, and they were higher in DMN group; Ees decreased, and it was lower in DMA group. （C） LSBA, LSpM, and LSAv had negative correlation with VVI. LSAp, RWT, LVMI and SW were independent predictors for VVI. The area under the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curves was used for identification of DMA and DMN with LSBA, LSpM, and LSAp, and the area under the ROC of LSAp was the largest. This study supports that myocardial LS could reflect the ventricu- lar-vascular coupling. Different segments had an order to “respond to” the state of the coupling, and the cardiac apex might be the earliest.

Small intestinal vascular malformation bleeding:A case report with imaging findings

The small intestine is approximately 5-6 m long and occupies a large area in the abdominal cavity. These factors preclude the use of ordinary endoscopy and X-ray to thoroughly examine the small intestine for bleeding of vascular malformations. Thus,the diagnosis of intestinal bleeding is very difficult. A 47-year-old man presented at the hospital 5 mo ago with dark stool. Several angiomas were detected by oral approach enteroscopy,but no active bleeding was observed. Additionally,no lesions were detected by anal approach enteroscopy;however,gastrointestinal tract bleeding still occurred for an unknown reason. We performed an abdominal vascular enhanced computed tomography examination and detected ileal vascular malformations. Ileum angioma and vascular malformation were detected by a laparoscopic approach,and segmental resection was performed for both lesions,which were confirmed by pathological diagnosis. This report systemically emphasizes the imaging findings of small intestinal vascular malformation bleeding.

Detecting early changes in choroidal vascularity and thickness using optical coherence tomography in patients with corneal crosslinking for keratoconus

AIM:To investigate changes in choroidal thickness and vascularity in keratoconus patients treated with corneal crosslinking.METHODS:This study evaluated 28 eyes of 22 patients with keratoconus who underwent corneal crosslinking.The choroidal thicknesses were evaluated on enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography at the preoperative and postoperative 3d,1,and 3mo.Choroidal thickness in the four cardinal quadrants and the fovea were evaluated.The choroidal vascularity index was also calculated.RESULTS:There was no significant difference in central choroidal thickness between the preoperative and postoperative 3d,1mo(P>0.05).There was a significant increase in the 3mo(P=0.034)and a significant decrease in the horizontal choroidal vascularity index on the postoperative 3d(P=0.014),there was no statistically significant change in vertical axes and other visits in horizontal sections(P>0.05).CONCLUSION:This study sheds light on choroidal changes in postoperative corneal crosslinking for keratoconus.While it suggests the procedure’s relative safety for submacular choroid,more extensive research is necessary to confirm these findings and their clinical significance.

Reperfusion injury components and manifestations determined by cardiovascular MR and MDCT imaging

Advances in magnetic resonance(MR) and computed tomography(CT) imaging have improved visualization of acute and scar infarct.Over the past decade,there have been and continues to be many significant technical advancements in cardiac MR and multi-detector computed tomography(MDCT) technologies.The strength of MR imaging relies on a variety of pulse sequences and the ability to noninvasively provide information on myocardial structure,function and perfusion in a single imaging session.The recent technical developments may also allow CT technologies to rise to the forefront for evaluating clinical ischemic heart disease.Components of reperfusion injury including myocardial edema,hemorrhage,calcium deposition and microvascular obstruction(MO) have been demonstrated using MR and CT technologies.MR imaging can be used serially and noninvasively in assessing acute and chronic consequences of reperfusion injury because there is no radiation exposure or administration of radioactive materials.MDCT is better suited for assessing coronary artery stenosis and as an alternative technique for as-sessing viability in patients where MR imaging is contraindicated.Changes in left ventricular(LV) volumes and function measured on cine MR are directly related to infarct size measured on delayed contrast enhanced images.Recent MR studies found that transmural infarct,MO and peri-infarct zone are excellent predictors of poor post-infarct recovery and mortality.Recent MR studies provided ample evidence that growth factor genes and stem cells delivered locally have beneficial effects on myocardial viability,perfusion and function.The significance of deposited calcium in acute infarct detected on MDCT requires further studies.Cardiac MR and MDCT imaging have the potential for assessing reperfusion injury components and manifestations.

Quality Improvement in Cardiovascular Imaging

Implementation of quality improvement(QI)activities is growing in health care settings across the world.Within cardiovascular imaging,areas for improvement include consistency of result reporting,greater patient safety through reductions in radiation exposure,and greater effi ciency of care delivery by elimination of wasteful practices and elimination of low-value or rarely appropriate testing.QI in health care is often driven through one of several endorsed frameworks,such as Lean,Six Sigma,and the Model for Improvement.Multiple examples of how to teach QI to medical trainees and physicians have been published.In this narrative review,we explore the growth and impact of QI in cardiovascular imaging,providing specifi c examples of successful projects,barriers to conducting QI,and rewards of persistent effort toward improving care.

Advances in multimodal magnetic resonance imaging of vascular mild cognitive impairment

Vascular mild cognitive impairment(VaMCI)represents the early stage of symptoms of vascular cognitive impairment(VCI).There are many intervention factors in this period.If the active treatment can delay the further development of the disease and even reduce the risk of transforming into vascular dementia(VaD).As a widely used imaging method,multi-mode magnetic resonance imaging can evaluate the brain structure and function of patients with VaMCI noninvasively and explore the relationship between brain structure,function and cognitive function change.It is beneficial to provide an idea for early diagnosis of VaMCI and to further understand the neuropathologic mechanism of its occurrence,which has broad application prospects.In this paper,the research status and new methods of VaMCI are reviewed by using multi-mode magnetic resonance imaging in recent years.

Current Status of Intra-Vascular Imaging during Coronary Interventions

Most important interventional application of IVUS is plaque assessment, vessel sizing and stent implantation guidance. Image guided PCI is associated with decreased incidence of stent thrombosis and MACE rate as evident in recently published meta-analysis of IVUS guided PCI studies. Many imaging studies have shown very clearly under-expansion, edge-dissection, tissue-prolapse, mal apposition, and geographical miss are associated with adverse events following DES implantation, and IVI guides in optimization of stent implantation by identifying and rectifying these predictors of DES outcomes.

Retinal Vascular Imaging Application in Women’s Reproductive Health:Clinical Implications and Future Directions

Over the past two decades,population-based studies employing semiautomatic computer-assisted programs have uncovered associations between retinal microvascular features and various systemic conditions.As the recognition of retinal imaging in cardiometabolic health grows,there is increasing evidence supporting its application in women’s health,particularly during the reproductive age.This review aims to summarize the indications of retinal imaging in women’s health and intergenerational health,where suboptimal retinal imaging has been found to mirror pathological systemic changes,such as suboptimal hemodynamic circulation,inflammation,endothelial dysfunction,oxidative stress,and hypoxia in vivo.Findings from Singapore Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes and Singapore Preconception Study of Long-Term Maternal and Child Outcomes cohorts have reported serial changes in retinal conventional microvascular features(e.g.,retinal arteriolar narrowing,retinal venular widening)and retinal geometric microvascular features(e.g.,sparse fractal dimension,enlarged branching angle,and increased curvature tortuosity)during the preconception and antenatal phases.These morphological abnormalities were found to be related to female fertility,maternal antenatal health conditions,postnatal maternal cardiometabolic health,and intergenerational health in the fetus.Given the compelling evidence of the ability to detect microvascular changes through noninvasive methods at an early stage,retinal imaging holds the potential to facilitate timely interventions,mitigate the progression of complications,and prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes.Looking ahead,the convergence of artificial intelligence and advanced imaging techniques heralds a promising era in women’s health research and clinical practice.