Fractal analysis of the vascular tree in the human retina
- PMID: 15255776
- DOI: 10.1146/annurev.bioeng.6.040803.140100
Fractal analysis of the vascular tree in the human retina
Abstract
The retinal circulation of the normal human retinal vasculature is statistically self-similar and fractal. Studies from several groups present strong evidence that the fractal dimension of the blood vessels in the normal human retina is approximately 1.7. This is the same fractal dimension that is found for a diffusion-limited growth process, and it may have implications for the embryological development of the retinal vascular system. The methods of determining the fractal dimension for branching trees are reviewed together with proposed models for the optimal formation (Murray Principle) of the branching vascular tree in the human retina and the branching pattern of the human bronchial tree. The limitations of fractal analysis of branching biological structures are evaluated. Understanding the design principles of branching vascular systems and the human bronchial tree may find applications in tissue and organ engineering, i.e., bioartificial organs for both liver and kidney.
Similar articles
-
Fractal analysis of normal retinal vascular network.Oftalmologia. 2011;55(4):11-6. Oftalmologia. 2011. PMID: 22642130 Review.
-
Robust methodology for fractal analysis of the retinal vasculature.IEEE Trans Med Imaging. 2011 Feb;30(2):243-50. doi: 10.1109/TMI.2010.2076322. Epub 2010 Sep 16. IEEE Trans Med Imaging. 2011. PMID: 20851791
-
Quantitative assessments of morphological and functional properties of biological trees based on their fractal nature.J Appl Physiol (1985). 2007 Jun;102(6):2315-23. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00856.2006. Epub 2007 Mar 8. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2007. PMID: 17347385
-
An optimal bronchial tree may be dangerous.Nature. 2004 Feb 12;427(6975):633-6. doi: 10.1038/nature02287. Nature. 2004. PMID: 14961120
-
Fractals in pathology.J Pathol. 1997 May;182(1):1-8. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1096-9896(199705)182:1<1::AID-PATH808>3.0.CO;2-B. J Pathol. 1997. PMID: 9227334 Review.
Cited by
-
Three-Dimensional Fractal Analysis of the Interstitial Cells of Cajal Networks of Gastrointestinal Tissue Specimens.Cell Mol Bioeng. 2023 Nov 27;17(1):67-81. doi: 10.1007/s12195-023-00789-5. eCollection 2024 Feb. Cell Mol Bioeng. 2023. PMID: 38435795
-
Fractal analysis of the macular region in healthy eyes using swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography.Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2023 Oct;261(10):2787-2794. doi: 10.1007/s00417-023-06117-x. Epub 2023 May 18. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2023. PMID: 37199803
-
Retinal vessel geometry in patients with idiopathic epiretinal membrane.Sci Rep. 2023 Mar 29;13(1):5108. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-32025-5. Sci Rep. 2023. PMID: 36991036 Free PMC article.
-
Y-27632 Impairs Angiogenesis on Extra-Embryonic Vasculature in Post-Gastrulation Chick Embryos.Toxics. 2023 Jan 30;11(2):134. doi: 10.3390/toxics11020134. Toxics. 2023. PMID: 36851009 Free PMC article.
-
Retinal vascular fractal dimension measurements in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: a retrospective case-control study.J Clin Sleep Med. 2023 Mar 1;19(3):479-490. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.10370. J Clin Sleep Med. 2023. PMID: 36458734 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
