An automated optical flow-mediated dilation method for fast screening of endothelial function

An automated optical flow-mediated dilation method for fast screening of endothelial function

Biomedical Signal Processing and Control

10.1016/j.bspc.2026.109785

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bspc.2026.109785

Yi Qi, Ying Jie Chee, Congwen Miao, Songhua Zheng, Tristan Wen Jie Choo, Ruochong Zhang, Quan Wang, Michael Yu Qi Zhou, Malini Olivo, Rinkoo Dalan, Renzhe Bi

05 February 2026

Qi, Y., Chee, Y. J., Miao, C., Zheng, S., Jie Choo, T. W., Zhang, R., Wang, Q., Qi Zhou, M. Y., Olivo, M., Dalan, R., & Bi, R. (2026). An automated optical flow-mediated dilation method for fast screening of endothelial function. Biomedical Signal Processing and Control, 118, 109785. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bspc.2026.109785

Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is the non-invasive gold standard for assessing endothelial dysfunction, an early and reversible marker of atherosclerosis, yet its uptake is limited by the cost, complexity, and operator dependence of ultrasound. This study presents an optical method that quantifies endothelial dysfunction using a compact, low-cost, fully automated diffuse speckle pulsatile flowmetry (DSPF) device. The system offers a new Reactive-Hyperemia–Flow-Volume (RHFV) index that achieves a strong correlation (r = 0.87) with clinical ultrasound FMD index and high discriminative performance for endothelial dysfunction (AUC = 0.8475), demonstrating accuracy comparable to Doppler ultrasound. By enabling convenient, reliable evaluation of endothelial dysfunction at the point of care, this optical technology holds substantial promise as a primary-care screening tool for cardiovascular risk stratification and longitudinal monitoring, with the potential to improve prevention pathways and broaden access to vascular health assessment.

Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This research / project is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore - BMRC Central Research Fund 2024
Grant Reference no. : NA

This research / project is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A ∗ STAR) - Industry Alignment Fund - Pre-Positioning
Grant Reference no. : H24J4a0146

This research / project is supported by the National Medical Research Council - Open Fund - Individual Research Grant
Grant Reference no. : OFIRG25jan-0092

This research / project is supported by the James Dyson Foundation - NA
Grant Reference no. : NA

This research / project is supported by the Ng Teng Fong Foundation - NA
Grant Reference no. : NA

© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ ).

https://oar.a-star.edu.sg/communities-collections/articles/22858

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