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Cited by 19Ultrasound Imaging and ElastographyCorneal surgery and disordersOptical Coherence Tomography Applications

Heartbeat-Induced Corneal Axial Displacement and Strain Measured by High Frequency Ultrasound Elastography in Human Volunteers

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Kwok, Sunny, Clayson, Keyton, Hazen, Nicholas, Pan, Xueliang, Ma, Yanhui, Hendershot, Andrew J., Liu, Jun·2020·Translational Vision Science & Technology
DOI 10.1167/tvst.9.13.33PMC PMC7757631
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Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish in vivo data acquisition and processing protocols for repeatable measurements of heartbeat-induced corneal displacements and strains in human eyes, using a high-frequency ultrasound elastography method, termed ocular pulse elastography (OPE). Methods: Twenty-four volunteers with no known ocular diseases were recruited for this study. Intraocular pressure (IOP) and ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) were measured using a PASCAL Dynamic Contour Tonometer (DCT). An in vivo OPE protocol was developed to measure heartbeat-induced corneal displacements. Videos of the central 5.7 mm of the cornea were acquired using a 50-MHz ultrasound probe at 128 frames per second. The radiofrequency data of 1000 frames were analyzed using an ultrasound speckle tracking algorithm to calculate corneal displacements and quantify spectral and temporal characteristics. The intrasession and intersession repeatability of OPE- and DCT-measured parameters were also analyzed. Results: The in vivo OPE protocol and setup were successful in tracking heartbeat-induced corneal motion using high-frequency ultrasound. Corneal axial displacements showed a strong cardiac rhythm, with good intrasession and intersession repeatability, and high interocular symmetry. Corneal strain was calculated in two eyes of two subjects, showing substantially different responses. Conclusions: We demonstrated the feasibility of high-frequency ultrasound elastography for noninvasive in vivo measurement of the cornea's biomechanical responses to the intrinsic ocular pulse. The high intrasession and intersession repeatability suggested a robust implementation of this technique to the in vivo setting. Translational Relevance: OPE may offer a useful tool for clinical biomechanical evaluation of the cornea by quantifying its response to the intrinsic pulsation.

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  • In vivo, blood flow through the choroid leads to a fluctuation of IOP known as the ocular pulse with an amplitude of about 2 mmHg.

    “In vivo, the blood flow through the choroid leads to a fluctuation of the IOP known as the ocular pulse that has an amplitude of about 2 mmHg [22, 23].”

    From Structural control of corneal transparency, refractive power and dynamics (2025) · cites this paper as [23]

    The Introduction (page unavailable) says pulsatile ocular blood flow produces an ocular pulse—a fluctuation in IOP—supporting the main mechanism. It gives the average amplitude in humans as about 3 mm Hg, not 2 mm Hg, and does not specifically identify blood flow through the choroid. (LLM, conf=0.90)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Kwok, S., Clayson, K., Hazen, N., Pan, X., Ma, Y., Hendershot, A. J., & Liu, J.
Affiliations
The Ohio State University (US)
Corresponding author
Liu, Jun
ORCID
Venue
Translational Vision Science & Technology
Publisher
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
Published
2020-12-18
Volume
9
Issue
13
Pages
33
ISSN
2164-2591 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1167/tvst.9.13.33
PMC
PMC7757631
OpenAlex
W3115917090
Cited by
19
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2
FWCI
1.22
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Translational Vision Science & Technology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Eye Institute (R01EY025358)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Ultrasound Imaging and Elastography
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Corneal surgery and disorders
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Optical Coherence Tomography Applications
Keywords
ocular pulse amplitude, corneal biomechanics, speckle tracking, intraocular pressure, repeatability, interocular symmetry
MeSH terms
Cornea, Heart Rate, Humans, Tonometry, Ocular, Elasticity Imaging Techniques, Healthy Volunteers

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