Measurement of the Eye's Blood Vessels Using the Dynamic Vessel Analyzer (DVA)

NCT ID: NCT00783029

Last Updated: 2012-02-07

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Total Enrollment: 87 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2008-10-31
• Study Completion Date: 2011-12-31

Brief Summary

The purpose of this research study is examine the response of the blood vessels in the eye to a light flicker stimulus using the Dynamic Vessel Analyzer (DVA) on two separate days in healthy individuals. The DVA uses an instrument which is used during routine eye examinations. The hypothesis of the study is that the changes in eye's blood vessel will be similar between the two visits; thus establishing reproducibility of the measurements for future comparisons to individuals with stroke or heart disease. In addition, this study will compare the eye's blood vessel responses to responses of the blood vessels in the arm using Doppler ultrasound.

Detailed Description

Retinal blood vessels have been suggested to be an index of the cerebral and coronary microvasculature function. Since the retinal vessels are not under direct sympathetic control, this vascular bed is an ideal location to examine local mechanisms of vascular regulation(i.e. metabolite/endothelial and myogenic). Based on previously published data on animal and human responses, the central purpose for the proposed research is to compare the retinal and brachial vasodilatation responses in healthy subjects using the Dynamic Vessel Analyzer (DVA). Our rationale for this proposal is to better understand retinal blood flow in healthy individuals, gain insight into vascular reactivity in different vascular beds, and lastly to establish standards and reproducibility of DVA Measurements.

Conditions

Healthy

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: CASE_ONLY
• Study Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

Healthy Subjects

Healthy participants between the ages of 21 and 65 years old.

No interventions assigned to this group

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Healthy Individuals
• Age: 21 to 65 years
• Non-smokers
• Non-obese

Exclusion Criteria

• History of cardiovascular, pulmonary, peripheral vascular disease, renal, prostate, and urinary retention disease; Hypertension; Narrow angle Glaucoma or Age Related Macular Degeneration.
• Pregnancy
• Inability to fixate using eye device
• Does not wish to participate

• Minimum Eligible Age: 21 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Penn State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Kerstin Bettermann

MD, PhD

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Kerstin Bettermann, MD, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Penn State College of Medicine

Locations

Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

IRB # 29113

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: secondary_id

HMC29113

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id