Platform Image Processing Applied to the Study of Retinal Vessels

Abstract

Recent studies have found retinal vessel caliber to be related to the risk of hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, metabolic syndrome, stroke and others coronary artery diseases. The vascular system in the human retina is easily perceived in its natural living state by the use of a retinal camera. Nowadays, there is general experimental agreement on the analysis of the patterns of the retinal blood vessels in the normal human retina. The development of automated tools designed to improve performance and decrease interobserver variability, therefore, appears necessary. This paper presents a study focused on developing a technological platform specialized in assessing retinal vessel caliber and describing the relationship of the results obtained to cardiovascular risk.