Fig. 1

Image acquisition with the use of GlycoCheck™ System. Measurements were performed by using the GlycoCheck™ System, which consists of a sidestream-darkfield (SDF) camera coupled to a high-performance laptop computer. a A.R. (left) and P.K. (right) conducting a sublingual GlycoCheck™ measurement in a healthy volunteer. b Schematic illustration of cross section of a microvessel. GlycoCheck™ detects the dynamic lateral movement into the glycocalyx, which is expressed as the perfused boundary region (PBR, in μm). An impaired glycocalyx allows more RBCs to penetrate deeper towards the endothelial surface, which is reflected by an increase in PBR. c Representative image of the sublingual mucosa acquired with the SDF camera. d Quality check being automatically performed by the GlycoCheck™ software. Invalid vascular segments are marked yellow and are automatically discarded, while all valid vascular segments (green lines) are further analyzed. PBR: perfused boundary region, RBC: red blood cell, RBCW: red blood cell width