Assessment of Microvascular Function Based on Flowmotion Monitored by the Flow-Mediated Skin Fluorescence Technique

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Research
• Medical Diagnostics
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Microvascular dysfunction is implicated in numerous health conditions.
• Assessing microvascular function is crucial for early diagnosis and management.
• Existing methods for microvascular assessment have limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the Flow-Mediated Skin Fluorescence (FMSF) technique for assessing microvascular function.
• To present two distinct approaches utilizing FMSF: normoxic parameters and hypoxia response.
• To highlight the clinical applications and diagnostic potential of FMSF.

Main Methods:

• Monitoring microcirculatory oscillations using the Flow-Mediated Skin Fluorescence (FMSF) technique.
• Measuring oscillatory parameters under normoxic conditions: flowmotion (FM), vasomotion (VM), and normoxia oscillatory index (NOI).
• Characterizing microcirculatory response to hypoxia using hypoxia sensitivity (HS).

Main Results:

• FMSF-derived parameters (FM, VM, NOI) identify impaired microcirculation in conditions like post-COVID syndrome, stress, and erectile dysfunction.
• Hypoxia sensitivity (HS) parameter aids in characterizing microvascular complications in diabetes (e.g., diabetic kidney disease, foot ulcers).
• Established FMSF parameter ranges for assessing microvascular function.

Conclusions:

• The FMSF technique offers a versatile diagnostic tool for microvascular assessment.
• The presented approaches provide valuable insights into various physiological and pathological states.
• FMSF has significant potential for integration into routine clinical practice due to its wide applicability.