Improvement of predictive power on cardiovascular disease risk by introducing ECG-gated fundus imaging system

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K15359
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Epidemiology and preventive medicine
• Research Institution: Teikyo University
• Principal Investigator: ASAYAMA KEI 帝京大学, 医学部, 准教授 (80431518)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 大久保 孝義 帝京大学, 医学部, 教授 (60344652) ; 坪田 恵 (宇津木恵) 岩手医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (20419998) ; 小川 充洋 帝京大学, 理工学部, 准教授 (30322085)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 生体信号同期システム / 循環器疾患リスク因子 / 眼底カメラ / 光電脈波 / 心電図

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We first developed a prototype fundus camera system, which is synchronized with an electrocardiograph, to measure the diameter of fundus arteriovenous vessels.
The improvement in accuracy based on the system was not as great as we had expected; it would be because the period to reach the ocular arteriovenous artery from the heart varies very much. We therefore developed a new photoelectric pulse wave measuring device based on a new idea that led to a patent application, in order to measure the point where is closer to the fundus. There was a good correlation between photoelectric pulse wave and heartbeat. Although the device was not made available for a field research in the Japanese general population during the study period, the use of precise fundus index measurements enables a more precise quantitative assessment of risk factors for cardiovascular disease as well as cognitive dysfunction.

Free Research Field

高血圧の疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

循環器疾患の発症予測には、正確なリスク因子の把握が重要である。本研究は、リスク因子のうち眼底カメラによって撮影される眼底動静脈の脈管径などの指標に着目し、先行研究で指摘されているこれらの精度の低さを克服する手段として、心電計に同期、続いて光電脈波に同期させた撮影法により眼底指標の測定精度向上を図った。本成果の発展的適用によって、循環器疾患リスク因子の一層厳密な評価が可能になると期待される。