Observation of natural flexural pulse waves in retinal and carotid arteries for wall elasticity estimation

The risk of cardiovascular events is linked to arterial elasticity that can be estimated from the pulse wave velocity. This symmetric wave velocity is related to the wall elasticity through the Moens-Korteweg equation. However, ultrasound imaging techniques need improved accuracy, and optical measurements on retinal arteries produce inconsistent results. Here, we report the first observation of an antisymmetric pulse wave: the flexural pulse wave. An optical system performs in vivo wave velocity measurements on retinal arteries and veins. Velocity estimation ranges between 1 and 10 millimeter per second. The theory of guided waves confirms the existence of this wave mode and its low velocity. Natural flexural waves can also be detected at the bigger scale of a carotid artery using ultrafast ultrasound imaging. This second natural pulse wave has great potential of becoming a biomarker of blood vessel aging.