Search

Background To evaluate and classify image artefacts in optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography (OCTA) of the choroid in a group of patients with macular diseases. Design Retrospective observational study. Participants Five patients with age-related macular degeneration, three with central serous retinopathy, one with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy and one with multiple evanescent white dot syndrome. Methods OCTA and OCT reflectivity (OCTR) maps were reviewed along with their fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography. Sixty OCTA images (20 outer retina, 20 Sattler and 20 Haller layers) were graded for image artefacts by two examiners independently. Main Outcome Measures OCTA artefacts and their correlation with OCTR maps, angiography and OCT B-scans. Results Artefacts (frequency) were classified into (i) motion (70–100%), (ii) fringe washout (100%), (iii) decorrelation projection (0–20%), (iv) masking and unmasking (50–65%) and (v) stromal decorrelation signal (100%). Motion artefact in OCTA is characterized by horizontal dark lines or bands not apparent on OCTR map. Fringe washout creates signal void within choroidal vessels because of fast blood flow. Decorrelation projection from retinal vasculature and choroidal new vessels above the Bruch's membrane are seen within the choroidal OCTA image. Masking and unmasking artefacts occur in regions of pigment epithelial detachment and atrophy. Decorrelation signals can also be seen in the choroidal stroma. Conclusions Our classification system of artefact in choroidal OCTA establishes a common terminology for clinical interpretation. This is important in enhancing our understanding of the principles of OCTA acquisition, and it also serves as a bench mark for reading centres.

An 80-year-old female with reading difficulty presented with progressive arcuate field defect despite low intraocular pressure. Over a 5-year period, the field defect evolved into an incongruous homonymous hemianopia and the repeated neuroimaging revealed progressive posterior cortical atrophy. Further neuropsychiatric assessment demonstrated symptoms and signs consistent with Benson’s syndrome.

To illustrate altered fundus autofluorescence in rubella retinopathy and to investigate their relationships with photoreceptor structure and function using multimodal imaging.The authors report four cases of rubella retinopathy aged 8, 33, 42, and 50 years. All patients had dilated clinical fundus examination; wide-field color photography; blue, green, and near-infrared autofluorescence imaging and spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Two patients also underwent microperimetry and adaptive optics imaging. En face optical coherence tomography, cone mosaic, and microperimetry were coregistered with autofluorescence images. The authors explored the structure-function correlation.All four patients had a "salt-and-pepper" appearance on dilated fundus examination and wide-field color photography. There were variable-sized patches of hypoautofluorescence on both blue and near-infrared excitation in all four patients. Wave-guiding cones were visible and retinal sensitivity was intact over these regions. There was no correlation between hypoautofluorescence and regions of attenuated ellipsoid and interdigitation zones. Hyperautofluorescent lesions were also noted and some of these were pseudo-vitelliform lesions.Patchy hypoautofluorescence on near-infrared excitation can be a feature of rubella retinopathy. This may be due to abnormal melanin production or loss of melanin within retinal pigment epithelium cells harboring persistent rubella virus infection. Preservation of the ellipsoid zone, wave-guiding cones, and retinal sensitivity within hypoautofluorescent lesions suggest that these retinal pigment epithelium changes have only mild impact on photoreceptor cell function.

The choroid is the most vascular tissue in the eye and it has been implicated in the pathophysiology of a variety of ocular diseases. A new era of research in the choroid began with the improved ability to visualize this layer and its inner and outer boundaries using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) with enhanced depth imaging and swept source OCT. The accuracy and precision of qualitative and quan-titative assessments of the choroidal layer support the potential use of OCT-derived choroidal parameters for diagnosis, monitoring of disease progression, planning surgical access, and evaluating treatment response. Although there is increasing interest in measuring choroidal thickness, there is currently no consensus nomenclature to classify choroidal layers and boundaries. Furthermore, the definition and description of the choroidal scleral interface is inconsistent in the literature, contributing to interstudy variation in choroidal thickness measurements. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the literature on the definition of choroidal layers and choroidal scleral boundary, review the discrepan-cies, and harmonize the terminology so that a consensus nomenclature can be proposed.

We used Optical Coherence Microscopy (OCM) to monitor structural and functional changes due to ischemic stroke in small animals brains in vivo. To obtain lateral resolution of 2.2 μm over the range of 600 μm we used extended focus configuration of OCM instrument involving Bessel beam. It provided access to detailed 3D information about the changes in brain vascular system up to the level of capillaries across I and II/III layers of neocortex. We used photothrombotic stroke model involving photoactive application of rose bengal to assure minimal invasiveness of the procedure and precise localization of the clot distribution center. We present the comparative analysis involving structural and angiographic maps of the stroke-affected brain enabling in-depth insight to the process of development of the disorder.

Quantification of sun-related changes in conjunctival ultraviolet autofluorescence (CUVAF) images is a subjective and tedious task, in which reproducibility of results is difficult. Thus, we have developed a semiautomatic method in MATLAB ® to analyze CUVAF images retrospectively. The algorithm was validated on 200 images from 50 randomly selected participants from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) study 20-year follow-up assessment, in which CUVAF area measurements were available from previous manual analysis. Algorithm performance was compared to manual measurements and yielded better than 95% correspondence in both intra- and interobserver agreement. Furthermore, the semiautomatic method significantly reduced analysis time by 50%.

Purpose To investigate whether confluent drusen may be accompanied by fluid accumulation underneath the sensory retina and to determine if the detection of subretinal fluid on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients with coalescent drusen is indicative of choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Design Prospective, noncomparative case series. Participants Seventy-four eyes of 57 patients with large, confluent drusen. Methods The retinal structure of patients with coalescent drusen was studied by spectral-domain OCT. Optical coherence tomography reflectivity and outer retina topography maps were created and compared with fluorescein angiography (FA) and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) images as well as with microperimetry. Main Outcome Measures Optical coherence tomography-derived retinal morphologic features. Results What appears to be fluid beneath the sensory retina was found on spectral-domain OCT in 8 eyes of 7 patients. The outer retina topography maps demonstrated that fluid accumulates only in the concavity between clustering soft drusen, not on their outward slopes. The maps also revealed a reduced distance between the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and the photoreceptor inner/outer segment (IS/OS) junction over large drusen and tiny elevations of the IS/OS junction around drusen of all sizes. Microperimetry showed decreased retinal light sensitivity at the site of diminished distance between the RPE and the IS/OS junction. Seven eyes of 6 patients who were followed up were found to have no retinal changes other than confluent drusen along with subretinal fluid during the entire observational period (12–27 months). There was no evidence of CNV on FA or ICGA in any of the patients. Conclusions Large, confluent drusen may be accompanied by subretinal spaces that appear to be filled with fluid. Specific distribution of the fluid limited to the depression between adjacent drusen may indicate that the cluster of coalescent drusen produces mechanical strain to the outer retinal layers that locally pulls the sensory retina away from its normal position. Consequently, the appearance of fluid within subretinal compartment between coalescent drusen in OCT cross-sectional images may not be a reliable marker for the presence of CNV. Financial Disclosure(s) Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.

A large number of human retinal diseases are characterized by a progressive loss of cones, the photoreceptors critical for visual acuity and color perception. Adaptive Optics (AO) imaging presents a potential method to study these cells in vivo. However, AO imaging in ophthalmology is a relatively new phenomenon and quantitative analysis of these images remains difficult and tedious using manual methods. This paper illustrates a novel semi-automated quantitative technique enabling registration of AO images to macular landmarks, cone counting and its radius quantification at specified distances from the foveal center. The new cone counting approach employs the circle Hough transform (cHT) and is compared to automated counting methods, as well as arbitrated manual cone identification. We explore the impact of varying the circle detection parameter on the validity of cHT cone counting and discuss the potential role of using this algorithm in detecting both cones and rods separately.

Purpose To present a novel method for noninvasive visualization of 3D retinal microcapillary network (RMN) using optical coherence tomography (OCT) reflectivity maps and to validate its clinical usefulness in vascular retinal diseases. Methods OCT imaging was applied to 43 patients with diabetic retinopathy, CRVO, BRVO and in 13 healthy subjects. OCT maps of RMN from different retinal layers were reconstructed and compared with fluorescein angiography. Results OCT showed the RMN of 20 microns in diameter, revealed vascular nonperfusion and identified microexudates that were not visible on clinical examination and fundus photography. Conclusion OCT is capable to precisely detect the RMN and can be used for noninvasive diagnosis and monitoring of early stages of retinal vascular diseases.

We show results of a project which focuses on detection of activity in neural tissue with Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) methods. Experiments were performed in neural cords dissected from the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana L.). Functional OCT imaging was performed with ultrahigh resolution spectral / Fourier domain OCT system (axial resolution 2.5 μm). Electrical stimulation (voltage pulses) was applied to the sensory cercal nerve of the neural cord. Optical detection of functional activation of the sample was performed in the connective between the terminal abdominal ganglion and the fifth abdominal ganglion. Functional OCT data were collected over time with the OCT beam illuminating selected single point in the connectives (i.e. OCT M-scans were acquired). Phase changes of the OCT signal were analyzed to visualize occurrence of activation in the neural cord. Electrophysiology recordings (microelectrode method) were also performed as a reference method to demonstrate electrical response of the sample to stimulation.

In this report the application of graphics processing unit (GPU) programming for real-time 3D Fourier domain Optical Coherence Tomography (FdOCT) imaging with implementation of Doppler algorithms for visualization of the flows in capillary vessels is presented. Generally, the time of the data processing of the FdOCT data on the main processor of the computer (CPU) constitute a main limitation for real-time imaging. Employing additional algorithms, such as Doppler OCT analysis, makes this processing even more time consuming. Lately developed GPUs, which offers a very high computational power, give a solution to this problem. Taking advantages of them for massively parallel data processing, allow for real-time imaging in FdOCT. The presented software for structural and Doppler OCT allow for the whole processing with visualization of 2D data consisting of 2000 A-scans generated from 2048 pixels spectra with frame rate about 120 fps. The 3D imaging in the same mode of the volume data build of 220 × 100 A-scans is performed at a rate of about 8 frames per second. In this paper a software architecture, organization of the threads and optimization applied is shown. For illustration the screen shots recorded during real time imaging of the phantom (homogeneous water solution of Intralipid in glass capillary) and the human eye in-vivo is presented.

The authors present the application of graphics processing unit (GPU) programming for real-time three-dimensional (3-D) Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FdOCT) imaging with implementation of flow visualization algorithms. One of the limitations of FdOCT is data processing time, which is generally longer than data acquisition time. Utilizing additional algorithms, such as Doppler analysis, further increases computation time. The general purpose computing on GPU (GPGPU) has been used successfully for structural OCT imaging, but real-time 3-D imaging of flows has so far not been presented. We have developed software for structural and Doppler OCT processing capable of visualization of two-dimensional (2-D) data (2000 A-scans, 2048 pixels per spectrum) with an image refresh rate higher than 120 Hz. The 3-D imaging of 100×100 A-scans data is performed at a rate of about 9 volumes per second. We describe the software architecture, organization of threads, and optimization. Screen shots recorded during real-time imaging of a flow phantom and the human eye are presented.

We propose two independent OCT data processing methods allowing visualization and analysis of the blood flow. These methods utilize variations in the OCT intensity images caused by flowing blood. The first method calculates standard deviation of intensity to generate retinal OCT angiograms. We present algorithm of this method and results of application for visualization of the microvasculature in the macular area of the human eye in vivo. The second method calculates cross power spectra of the volumetric intensity images to assess blood flow velocity in three dimensions. Validation of this method for OCT imaging was performed in a flow phantom.

Although the Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography techniques have already enabled imaging of blood flow in large vessels in biological tissues, the generation of velocity maps of the capillary network is still a challenge. Since several important physiological and pathological phenomena occur in the microcirculation, the possibility of flow imaging and velocity assessment in microcapillaries may be important for medical diagnostics. Understanding of the origin of the Doppler signal in capillary vessels and limitations of such measurements is essential for further development of Doppler OCT methods. In the OCT flow maps of a microcapillary network randomly varying Doppler signals are observed. To answer the question how accurate is the Doppler OCT flow measurement for blood motion in small vessels, we have investigated the possibility to obtain velocity profiles of blood in vitro in well controlled experimental configuration. We have used a rectangular microchannel (100 μm wide, 40 μm deep) as a microcapillary phantom. Imaging was performed with a Fourier domain OCT setup with a CMOS camera. Data analysis was performed using joint Spectral and Time Domain OCT method (STdOCT).

We have developed and applied a high-speed Spectral OCT system to image small animal brains. OCT imaging with high spatial resolution and application of multi-parameter approach enabled cortical blood flow visualization. We imaged the brain vascular network of an anesthetized mouse stroke model. We demonstrated the impact of induced stroke on the brain vasculature. The preliminary studies have revealed local ischemia in the areas of the stroke.

In this paper we demonstrate applicability of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) for three-dimensional analysis of blood flow in brain of small animals. We proposed scanning protocols that enable receiving both qualitative and quantitative information about flow. Presented data are obtained with a laboratory high resolution and high speed Spectral OCT system. Data analysis is performed using joint Spectral and Time domain OCT.

In this paper we report that optical inhomogeneity of flowing fluid has influence on Doppler OCT measurement. Additional Doppler signal from scattering steady medium below blood vessels is visible. To investigate this phenomenon, the experiments with different scattering mediums and different well controlled experimental configurations were carried out. Imaging was performed using SOCT instrument with CCD camera, and joint Spectral and Time domain OCT method was used during data analysis.

In this submission we demonstrate a new application of the joint Spectral and Time domain Optical Coherence Tomography (STdOCT) technique for segmenting and measuring the retinal blood flow velocity in three dimensions. The method is based on direct detection of Doppler shift that arises in time during the measurement. New scanning protocols and analysis tools are proposed to create velocity distribution maps of the retina and to segment and visualize 3D vasculature of human eye in-vivo. STdOCT segmentation is more sensitive than methods based on phase measurements and calculations are more straightforward than other techniques, which require more complex experimental setup and more sophisticated numerical tools. The usage of ultra-fast line scan camera allows to broaden the axial velocity range up to ±24mm/s, thus all high flows in human retina can be registered.

We demonstrate a novel optical method for the detection and differentiation between erythrocytes and leukocytes that uses amplitude and phase information provided by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Biological cells can introduce significant phase modulation with substantial scattering anisotropy and dominant forward-scattered light. Such physical properties may favor the use of a trans-illumination imaging technique. However, an epi-illumination mode may be more practical and robust in many applications. This study describes a new way of measuring the phase modulation introduced by flowing microobjects. The novel part of this invention is that it uses the backscattered signal from the substrate located below the flowing/moving objects. The identification of cells is based on phase-sensitive OCT signals. To differentiate single cells, a custom-designed microfluidic device with a highly scattering substrate is introduced. The microchannels are molded in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mixed with titanium dioxide (TiO2) to ensure high scattering properties. The statistical parameters of the measured signal depend on the cells' features, such as their size, shape, and internal structure.

We evaluate Spectral OCT (SOCT) with a speckle contrast reduction technique using resonant scanner for assessment of corneal surface changes after excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and we compare healing process between conventional PRK and transepithelial PRK. The measurements were performed before and after the surgery. Obtained results show that SOCT with a resonant scanner speckle contrast reduction is capable of providing information regarding the healing process after PRK. The main difference between the healing processes of PRK and TransPRK, assessed by SOCT, was the time to cover the stroma with epithelium, which was shorter in the TransPRK group.

Although Doppler optical coherence tomography techniques have enabled the imaging of blood flow in mid-sized vessels in biological tissues, the generation of velocity maps of capillary networks remains a challenge. To better understand the origin and information content of the Doppler signal from small vessels and limitations of such measurements, we used joint spectral and time domain optical coherence tomography to monitor the flow in a model, semitransparent microchannel device. The results obtained for Intralipid, whole blood, as well as separated red blood cells indicate that the technique is suitable to record velocity profiles in vitro, in a range of microchannel configurations.

The relationship between Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg was irrevocably changed by the Second World War. While we may never know what transpired during their famous meeting in Copenhagen, their story highlights the ethical complexities— and heavy burdens—that sometimes come with being a scientist.

Examination of brain functions in small animal models may help improve the diagnosis and treatment of neurological conditions. Transcranial imaging of small rodents' brains poses a major challenge for optical micro- scopy. Another challenge is to reduce the measurement time. We describe methods and algorithms for three-dimen- sional assessment of blood flow in the brains of small animals, through the intact skull, using spectral and time domain optical coherence tomography. By introducing a resonant scanner to the optical setup of the optical coher- ence tomography (OCT) system, we have developed and applied a high-speed spectral OCT technique that allows us to vary the imaging range of flow and to shorten measurement time. Multi-parameter signal analysis enables us to obtain both qualitative and quantitative information about flow velocity from the same set of data. © 2012 Society of

We demonstrate and compare two image processing methods for visualization and analysis of three-dimensional optical coherence tomography (OCT) data acquired in eyes with different retinal pathologies. A method of retinal layer segmentation based on a multiple intensity thresholding algorithm was implemented in order to generate simultaneously outer retinal topography maps and reflectivity maps. We compare the applicability of the two methods to the diagnosis of retinal diseases and their progression. The data presented in this contribution were acquired with a high speed (25,000 A-scans/s), high resolution (4.5 microm) spectral OCT prototype instrument operating in the ophthalmology clinic.

In this paper we would like to report that dynamic change of human blood refractive index have an influence on Doppler OCT measurement. The obtained data show an interesting attributes of this phenomenon.

In this paper we demonstrate applicability of intensity-based optical coherence tomography technique for noninvasive visualization of 3D retinal microcapillary network. The study was performed with ultra high resolution and high speed (180,000 Ascans/sec) spectral optical coherence tomography (SOCT). New scanning protocols and data processing algorithms have been introduced to visualize microcapillary network. Moreover, results obtained in the eyes of healthy volunteers and patients with eye diseases were compared with fluorescein angiography. Presented report shows that SOCT is well suited for visualization of 3D retinal capillary network in the healthy and pathologic eyes as well. Obtained results demonstrate high correspondence with fluorescein angiography, without using any contrast agents. Our data suggest that intensity-based SOCT has potential in the early diagnosis of the retinal vascular diseases.