Quantification of retinal microvascular imaging features from fundus photos in ocular and systemic disease: a framework for standardization - PubMed

5 hours ago

Microvascular dysfunction is a key factor in ocular and systemic diseases like diabetic retinopathy, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer's.
Retinal imaging provides non-invasive, high-resolution visualization of microvasculature, aiding in early diagnosis and intervention.
Open-source tools for quantitative extraction of retinal microvascular features exist but suffer from poor comparability and reproducibility.
Differences in image processing steps (e.g., vessel segmentation, arteriole-venule classification) affect metric calculation and study comparability.
A methodological framework is proposed to standardize retinal microvascular quantification for robust biomarker development.
Key research gaps include understanding when retinal features change, reversibility of dysfunction, and its role in neurodegeneration.

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