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Short- and Long-Term Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Vascular Phenotype
Lukas Streese1, Karsten Königstein1, Lara Goricki1
1Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, Division Sports and Exercise Medicine, University of Basel, Birsstr. 320 B, 4052, Basel, Switzerland.
Background:
Retinal microvascular diameters and large artery stiffness are valid biomarkers of cardiovascular risk. This study assessed short- and long-term micro- and macrovascular improvements after bariatric surgery (BS).
Methods:
Sixteen patients (44 ± 12 years) underwent BS in this observational study. Two weeks before as well as 6 weeks and 4 years after surgery, retinal vessel analysis and assessment of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI), and anthropometry were performed. Three patients were lost to follow-up.
Results:
Six weeks after BS, retinal arteriolar diameters (CRAE) were wider (180.1 μm vs. 188.1 μm; p = 0.001), and the arteriolar-to-venular diameter ratio (AVR) was higher (0.82 vs. 0.86; p < 0.001) compared to baseline levels. During the 4 years of follow-up, the retinal changes sustained but further improvements did not occur. Both indices of large artery stiffness, baPWV and CAVI, remained unchanged 6 weeks and 4 years after surgery.
Conclusions:
Retinal microvascular phenotype improved 6 weeks after BS. The improvements in microvascular health were maintained during 4 years of follow-up but, despite significant further reductions in body mass index, did not improve further long-term. baPWV and CAVI were unaffected after surgery indicating that BS primarily affects microvascular phenotype rather than large artery stiffness. Retinal vessel imaging seems to be a feasible diagnostic tool to monitor microvascular health after BS. Normalization of BMI and blood pressure may be necessary to achieve long-term improvement of large artery phenotype after BS.
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