Shortly after the introduction of the ophthalmoscope in the 19th century, ophthalmologists observed the blood vessels of the retina and noticed that there were changes in the caliber of the blood column and in the structure of the vessel walls of arteries and veins, especially in connection with systemic diseases such as hypertension or diabetes.From there it was still a stony but fascinating way to the successful breakthrough of retinal vessel analysis visible in this book. It will give an up-to-date overview on the interdisciplinary scientific and clinical application of this new microvascular diagnostic method in cardiovascular prevention to optimize risk stratification and potentially facilitate treatment guidance.

1. Introduction (Henner Hanssen, Walthard Vilser) 111.1. Retinal vessel analysis and the microcirculation 111.2. Definition and significance of the retinal microcirculation 111.3. A short history of retinal vessel analysis 122. Methods of Retinal Vessel Analysis (Walthard Vilser) 172.1. Definition and classification of vessel analysis 172.2. Technical device and imaging technology 172.3. Measuring principle and database 182.4. Static retinal vessel analysis 192.5. Dynamic retinal vessel analysis 223. Retinal Vessel Analysis as an interdisciplinary tool in Ophthalmology andInternal Medicine (Marcus Blum) 313.1. Introduction 313.2. Methods for Dynamic Vessel Analysis 313.2.1. Gas mixtures 313.2.2. Perfusion Pressure 313.2.3. Flicker Light Stimulation 323.3. Glaucoma 323.4. Diabetic Retinopathy 323.5. Effects of treatment 333.6. Conclusions 334. Retinal Vessel Analysis in Cardiovascular Prevention (Henner Hanssen) 354.1. Introduction: Why retinal vessel analysis? 354.2. The concept of vascular ageing and vascular biomarkers 354.3. Retinal vessels and cardiovascular prevention during lifespan 374.3.1. Retinal vessels and cardiovascular prevention in childhood 374.3.2. Retinal vessels and cardiovascular prevention in adulthood 384.3.3. Retinal vessels and cardiovascular prevention in the elderly 394.4. Retinal vessels and lifestyle 394.5. Retinal vessels, physical activity behaviour and fitness 394.6. Summary 415. Retinal Vessel Analysis in Heart Failure (Jens Barthelmes, Andreas J. Flam-mer, Matthias P. Nägele, Isabella Sudano) 435.1. Introduction 435.2. The role of endothelial dysfunction in the pathophysiology of chronic heart failure 435.3. Static retinal vessel analysis in chronic heart failure 445.4. Dynamic retinal vessel analysis in chronic heart failure 455.5. Conclusions 466. Retinal Vessel Analysis in Hypertension and Chronic Renal Failure(Christoph Schmaderer) 496.1. Retinal vessels and hypertension 496.1.1. Static retinal vessel analysis 496.1.2. Dynamic retinal vessel analysis 516.2. Retinal vessel analysis and chronic renal failure 516.2.1. Static retinal vessel analysis 516.2.2. Dynamic retinal vessel analysis 527. Retinal Vessel Analysis in Pharmacotherapy (Gerhard Garhöfer,Doreen Schmidl) 557.1. Provocation tests to assess vascular function 557.2. Pharmacological effects on the retinal microcirculation 567.2.1. Nitric oxide/endothelin system 567.2.2. Other drugs with potential effects on the retinal circulation 577.2.3. Diabetes 577.2.4. Systemic hypertension 588. Outlook on Clinical Application and Future Research (Henner Hanssen,Walthard Vilser) 618.1. Summary and Future Research 618.2. Outlook on clinical application 61Index 63