Detecting early changes in choroidal vascularity and thickness using optical coherence tomography in patients with corneal crosslinking for keratoconus

AIM:To investigate changes in choroidal thickness and vascularity in keratoconus patients treated with corneal crosslinking.METHODS:This study evaluated 28 eyes of 22 patients with keratoconus who underwent corneal crosslinking.The choroidal thicknesses were evaluated on enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography at the preoperative and postoperative 3d,1,and 3mo.Choroidal thickness in the four cardinal quadrants and the fovea were evaluated.The choroidal vascularity index was also calculated.RESULTS:There was no significant difference in central choroidal thickness between the preoperative and postoperative 3d,1mo(P>0.05).There was a significant increase in the 3mo(P=0.034)and a significant decrease in the horizontal choroidal vascularity index on the postoperative 3d(P=0.014),there was no statistically significant change in vertical axes and other visits in horizontal sections(P>0.05).CONCLUSION:This study sheds light on choroidal changes in postoperative corneal crosslinking for keratoconus.While it suggests the procedure’s relative safety for submacular choroid,more extensive research is necessary to confirm these findings and their clinical significance.

Optical coherence tomography enhanced depth imaging of chorioretinal folds in patients with orbital tumors

AIM:To characterize spectral-domain optical coherence tomography(SD-OCT)features of chorioretinal folds in orbital mass imaged using enhanced depth imaging(EDI).METHODS:Prospective observational case-control study was conducted in 20 eyes of 20 patients,the uninvolved eye served as a control.All the patients underwent clinical fundus photography,computed tomography,EDI SDOCT imaging before and after surgery.Two patients with cavernous hemangiomas underwent intratumoral injection of bleomycin A5;the remaining patients underwent tumor excision.Patients were followed 1 to 14mo following surgery(average follow up,5.8mo).RESULTS:Visual acuity prior to surgery ranged from 20/20 to 20/200.Following surgery,5 patients’visual acuity remained unchanged while the remaining 15 patients had a mean letter improvement of 10(range 4 to 26 letters).Photoreceptor inner/outer segment defects were found in 10 of 15 patients prior to surgery.Following surgical excision,photoreceptor inner/outer segment defects fully resolved in 8 of these 10 patients.CONCLUSION:Persistence of photoreceptor inner/outer segment defects caused by compression of the globe by an orbital mass can be associated with reduced visual prognosis.Our findings suggest that photoreceptor inner/outer segment defects on EDI SD-OCT could be an indicator for immediate surgical excision of an orbital mass causing choroidal compression.

Optical coherence tomography with or without enhanced depth imaging for peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer and choroidal thickness

AIM：To assess peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer（RNFL）and choroidal thickness obtained with enhanced depth imaging（EDI）mode compared with those obtained without EDI mode using Heidelberg Spectralis optical coherence tomography（OCT）.METHODS：Fifty eyes of 25 normal healthy subjects and32 eyes of 20 patients with different eye diseases were included in the study.All subjects underwent 3.4 mm diameter peripapillary circular OCT scan centered on the optic disc using both the conventional and the EDI OCT protocols.The visualization of RNFL and choroidoscleral junction was assessed using an ordinal scoring scale.The paired t-test,intraclass correlation coefficient（ICC）,95%limits of agreement（LoA）,and Bland and Altman plots were used to test the agreement of measurements.RESULTS：The visibility score of RNFL obtained with and without EDI was of no significant difference（P=0.532）,the visualization of choroidoscleral junction was better using EDI protocol than conventional protocol（P〈0.001）.Peripapillary RNFL thickness obtained with EDI was slightly thicker than that obtained without EDI（103.25±9.42μm vs 101.87±8.78μm,P=0.010）.The ICC of the two protocols was excellent with the value of 0.867 to 0.924,the 95%LoA of global RNFL thickness was between-10.0 to 7.4μm.Peripapillary choroidal thickness obtained with EDI was slightly thinner than that obtained without EDI（147.23±51.04μm vs 150.90±51.84μm,P〈0.001）.The ICC was also excellent with the value of 0.960 to 0.987,the 95%LoA of global choroidal thickness was between-12.5 to 19.8μm.CONCLUSION：Peripapillary circular OCT scan with or without EDI mode shows comparable results in the measurement of peripapillary RNFL and choroidal thickness.

Peripapillary choroidal thickness in Chinese children using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography

AIM：To evaluate the peripapillary choroidal thickness（PPCT） in Chinese children,and to analyze the influencing factors.METHODS： PPCT was measured with enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography（EDI-OCT） in 70children（53 myopes and 17 non-myopes） aged 7 to 18 y,with spherical equivalent refractive errors between 0.50and-5.87 diopters（D）.Peripapillary choroidal imaging was performed using circular scans of a diameter of 3.4 mm around the optic disc.PPCT was measured by EDI-OCT in six sectors： nasal（N）,superonasal（SN）,superotemporal（ST）,temporal（T）,inferotemporal（IT）and inferonasal（IN）,as well as global RNFL thickness（G）.RESULTS： The mean global PPCT was 165.49±33.76 μm.The temporal,inferonasal,inferotemporal PPCT were significantly thinner than the nasal,superonasal,superotemporal segments PPCT were significantly thinner in the myopic group at temporal,superotemporal and inferotemporal segments.The axial length was significantly associated with the average global（β=-0.419,P =0.014）,superonasal（β=-2.009,P=0.049） and inferonasal（β=-2.000,P=0.049） PPCT.The other factors（gender,age,SE） were not significantly associated with PPCT.CONCLUSION： PPCT was thinner in the myopic group at temporal,superotemporal and inferotemporal segments.The axial length was found to be negatively correlated to PPCT.We need more further studies about the relationship between PPCT and myopia.

Clinical characteristics of peripapillary hyperreflective ovoid mass-like structures in myopic children

AIM:To describe the characteristics of peripapillary hyperreflective ovoid mass-like structure(PHOMS)in myopic children and to investigate factors associated with PHOMS.METHODS:This retrospective observational study included 101 eyes of 101 children(age≤17y)with myopia.All included patients underwent comprehensive clinical examination.Optic nerve canal parameters,including disc diameter,optic nerve head(ONH)tilt angle,and border tissue angle were measured using serial enhanced-depth imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography(EDI-OCT).Based on the optic disc drusen consortium’s definition of PHOMS,eyes were classified as PHOMS group and non-PHOMS group.PHOMS was categorized according to height.RESULTS:Sixty-seven(66.3%)eyes were found with PHOMS.Small PHOMS could only be detected by optical coherence tomography(OCT).Medium PHOMS could be seen with blurred optic disc borders corresponding to OCT.The most frequent location of PHOMS was at the nasosuperior(91%,61 of 67 eyes)to ONH disc.The axial length and spherical equivalent were more myopic in the PHOMS group than in the non-PHOMS group(both P<0.001).ONH tilt angle was also significantly greater in PHOMS group than in non-PHOMS group[8.90(7.16-10.54)vs 3.93(3.09-5.25),P<0.001].Border tissue angle was significantly smaller in PHOMS group than in non-PHOMS group[29.70(20.90-43.81)vs 45.62(35.18-60.45),P<0.001].In the multivariable analysis,spherical equivalent(OR=3.246,95%CI=1.209-8.718,P=0.019)and ONH tilt angle(OR=3.275,95%CI=1.422-7.542,P=0.005)were significantly correlated with PHOMS.There was no disc diameter associated with PHOMS.In the linear regression analysis,border tissue angle was negatively associated with PHOMS height(β=-2.227,P<0.001).CONCLUSION:PHOMS is associated with optic disc tilt and optic disc nasal shift in myopia.Disc diameter is not a risk factor for PHOMS.The changes in ONH caused by axial elongation facilitated an understanding of the mechanism of PHOMS.

Feasibility study of phase-sensitive imaging based on multiple reference optical coherence tomography

Multiple reference optical coherence tomography（MR-OCT） is a recently developed, low-cost and compact time-domain OCT solution for primary care and consumer level applications. A combination of a voice coil actuator and a partial mirror（PM） extends the scan range for imaging depths of approximately 1 mm in biological samples. Our previous research on MR-OCT is based only on intensity information obtained from the depth-resolved interference signal. In this Letter, we extract the phase information from the MR-OCT signal and, hence, provide an additional contrast modality. The phase sensitivity of the system is measured to be approximately 0.2 and 1.5 rad for the first and twelfth orders of reflection when using a mirror as the sample.This Letter describes first results of phase-sensitive data measured on a phantom obtained with MR-OCT. Data from a chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane（CAM） is used to demonstrate the feasibility of MR-OCT for in vivo phase-sensitive imaging.

Optical coherence tomography imaging of cranial meninges post brain injury in vivo

We report a new application of optical coherence tomography（OCT） to investigate the cranial meninges in an animal model of brain injury in vivo. The injury is induced in a mouse due to skull thinning, in which the repeated and excessive drilling exerts mechanical stress on the mouse brain through the skull, resulting in acute and mild brain injury. Transcranial OCT imaging reveals an interesting virtual space between the cranial meningeal layers post skull thinning, which is gradually closed within hours. The finding suggests a promise of OCT as an effective tool to monitor the mechanical trauma in the small animal model of brain injury.

High-resolution subsurface articular cartilage imaging based on Fourier-domain common-path optical coherence tomography

We demonstrate the subsurface imaging of an articular cartilage using Fourier-domain common-path optical coherence tomography. The bare fiber probe integrated with a hypodermic needle provides the rigidness required to perform lateral scanning with less microscale bending. By submerging both the probe and the specimen into saline solution, we not only reduce the beam divergence, but also increase the signal-to-noise ratio compared with the measurement in free space. Our system can differentiate the characteristic cartilage zones and identity various micro-structured defects in an ex vivo chicken knee cartilage, thus demonstrating that it could be used to conduct early arthritis diagnosis and intraoperative endo-microscopy.

Utility of high-resolution anterior segment optical coherence tomography in the diagnosis and management of sub-clinical ocular surface squamous neoplasia

Background:To evaluate the frequency and characteristics of sub-clinical ocular surface squamous neoplasia(OSSN)detected by high-resolution anterior segment tomography(HR-OCT)in patients with clinically unapparent disease following topical treatment.Methods:A retrospective chart review of patients with OSSN identified through a pharmacy database at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute from January 2013 to December 2018 was conducted.Patients undergoing primary therapy with topical 5-fluorouracil 1%(5-FU)(4 times a day for 7 days with a 21-day break)or interferon-alpha-2b(IFN)(4 times a day)were reviewed.Patients were separated into two groups.Group 1 included individuals whose clinical resolution of OSSN aligned with complete resolution on HR-OCT.Group 2(sub-clinical OSSN group)included individuals with clinical OSSN resolution but with features of persistent disease on HR-OCT.Patients excluded included those treated at an outside institution and those who used topical therapy as a surgical adjunct.Results:A total of 95 patients(95 eyes)were reviewed.Sub-clinical OSSN was detected at a frequency of 17%in our study patients(n=16 patients,9 treated with 5-FU and 7 treated with IFN).In the 16 individuals,the mean time to clinical resolution was 3.6±1.0 cycles for 5-FU and 4.0±0.0 months for IFN.An additional 2.1±0.8 cycles for 5-FU and 1.2±0.4 months for IFN were needed to achieve HR-OCT resolution of OSSN.Recurrence in Group 1 was noted in 10 patients(12%)while no recurrences occurred in Group 2,the cohort with subclinical disease that received the extended medical therapy.The mean follow-up was 24.0±17.9 months.Conclusion:We found that at least 17%of individuals with apparent clinical resolution of OSSN have sub-clinical disease detected on HR-OCT.This information can be used to optimize treatment and extend therapy past the point of clinical resolution.

Anisotropic Total Variation Regularization Based NAS-RIF Blind Restoration Method for OCT Image

Based on anisotropic total variation regularization(ATVR), a nonnegativity and support constraints recursive inverse filtering(NAS-RIF) blind restoration method is proposed to enhance the quality of optical coherence tomography(OCT) image. First, ATVR is introduced into the cost function of NAS-RIF to improve the noise robustness and retain the details in the image.Since the split Bregman iterative is used to optimize the ATVR based cost function, the ATVR based NAS-RIF blind restoration method is then constructed. Furthermore, combined with the geometric nonlinear diffusion filter and the Poisson-distribution-based minimum error thresholding, the ATVR based NAS-RIF blind restoration method is used to realize the blind OCT image restoration. The experimental results demonstrate that the ATVR based NAS-RIF blind restoration method can successfully retain the details in the OCT images. In addition, the signal-to-noise ratio of the blind restored OCT images can be improved, along with the noise robustness.