OPTIMIZATION OF DESIGN PARAMETERS FOR FLUORESCENCE LAMINAR OPTICAL TOMOGRAPHY

Laminar optical tomography(LOT)is a mesoscopic tomographic imaging technique ranging between confocal microscopy and diffuse optical tomography(DOT).Fluorescence LOT(FLOT)provides depth-resolved molecular information with 100-200μm resolution over 2-3mm depth.In this study,we use Monte Carlo simulation and singular-value analysis(SVA)to optimize the source-detector configurations for potential enhancement of FLOT imaging performance.The effects of different design parameters,including source incidence and detector collection angles,detector number,and sampling density,are presented.The results indicate that angled incidence/detection configuration might improve the imaging resolution and depth sensitivity,especially for low-scattering medium.Increasing the number of detectors and the number of scanning steps will also result in enhanced imaging performance.We also demonstrate that the optimal imaging performance depends upon the background scattering coe±cient.Our result might provide an optimization strategy for FLOT or LOT experimental setup.

NEAR-INFRARED OPTICAL TOMOGRAPHY IMAGE RECONSTRUCTION APPROACH BASED ON TWO-LAYERED BP NEURAL NETWORK

An image-reconstruction approach for optical tomography is presented,in which a two-layered BP neural network is used to distinguish the tumor location.The inverse problem is solved as optimization problem by Femlab software and Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm.The concept of the average optical coefficient is proposed in this paper,which is helpful to understand the distribution of the scattering photon from tumor.The reconstructive¯µ
s by the trained network is reasonable for showing the changes of photon number transporting inside tumor tissue.It realized the fast reconstruction of tissue optical properties and provided optical OT with a new method.

IN VIVO TRANS-RECTAL ULTRASOUND-COUPLED NEAR-INFRARED OPTICAL TOMOGRAPHY OF INTACT NORMAL CANINE PROSTATE

This is the first tomography-presentation of the optical properties of a normal canine prostate,in vivo,in its native intact environment in the pelvic canal.The imaging was performed by trans-rectal near-infrared(NIR)optical tomography in steady-state measurement at 840 nm on three sagittal planes across the right lobe,middle-line,and left lobe,respectively,of the prostate gland.The NIR imaging planes were position-correlated with concurrently applied trans-rectal ultrasound,albeit there was no spatial prior employed in the NIR tomography reconstruction.The reconstructed peak absorption coefficients of the prostate on the three planes were 0.014,0.012,and 0.014mm^(−1).The peak reduced scattering coefficients were 5.28,5.56,and 6.53 mm^(−1).The peak effective attenuation coefficients were 0.45,0.43,and 0.50 mm^(−1).The absorption and effective attenuation coefficients were within the ranges predictable at 840 nm by literature values which clustered sparsely from 355 nm to 1064 nm,none of which were performed on a canine prostate with similar conditions.The effective attenuation coefficients of the gland were shown to be generally higher in the internal aspects than in the peripheral aspects,which is consistent with the previous findings that the urethral regions were statistically more attenuating than the capsular regions.

A DIFFUSION–TRANSPORT HYBRID METHOD FOR ACCELERATING OPTICAL TOMOGRAPHY

It is well acknowledged that the equation of radiative transfer(ERT)provides an accurate prediction of light propagation in biological tissues,while the diffusion approximation(DA)is of limited accuracy for the transport regime.However,ERT-based reconstruction codes require much longer computation times as compared to DA-based reconstruction codes.We introduce here a computationally efficient algorithm,called a diffusion–transport hybrid solver,that makes use of the DA-or low-order ERT-based inverse solution as an initial guess for the full ERT-based reconstruction solution.To evaluate the performance of this hybrid method,we present extensive studies involving numerical tissue phantoms and experimental data.As a result,we show that the hybrid method reduces the reconstruction time by a factor of up to 23,depending on the physical character of the problem.

Aflibercept combined with triamcinolone acetonide in the treatment of diabetic macular edema:optical coherence tomography and optical coherence tomography angiography

AIM:To analyze the relationship between optical coherence tomography(OCT)and OCT angiography(OCTA)imaging in patients with diabetic macular edema(DME)who are treated with a combination of aflibercept and triamcinolone acetonide(TA).METHODS:A total of 76 eyes newly diagnosed DME were included in this study.They were randomly assigned to receive either aflibercept or a combination of aflibercept and TA.Injections once a month for a total of three injections.Central macular thickness(CMT),number of hyperreflective foci(HRF),height of subretinal fluid(SRF),and area of foveal avascular zone(FAZ)were evaluated using OCT and OCTA at baseline and after each monthly treatment.RESULTS:Both groups showed improvement in best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)and reduction in macular edema after treatment,and the difference in BCVA between the two groups was statistically significant after each treatment(P<0.05).The difference in CMT between the two groups was statistically significant after the first two injections(P<0.01),but not after the third injection(P=0.875).The number of HRF(1mo:7.41±8.25 vs 10.86±7.22,P=0.027;2mo:5.33±6.13 vs 9.12±8.61,P=0.034;3mo:3.58±3.00 vs 6.37±5.97,P=0.007)and height of SRF(1mo:82.39±39.12 vs 105.77±42.26μm,P=0.011;2mo:36.84±10.02 vs 83.59±37.78μm,P<0.01;3mo:11.57±3.29 vs 45.43±12.60μm,P<0.01)in combined group were statistically significant less than aflibercept group after each injection,while the area of FAZ showed no significant change before and after treatment in both groups.CONCLUSION:The combination therapy of aflibercept and TA shows more significant effects on DME eyes with decreased HRF and SRF.However,both aflibercept and combination therapy show no significant change in the area of FAZ.

Automatic diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy using vision transformer based on wide-field optical coherence tomography angiography

Diabetic retinopathy(DR)is one of the major causes of visual impairment in adults with diabetes.Optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA)is nowadays widely used as the golden criterion for diagnosing DR.Recently,wide-field OCTA(WF-OCTA)provided more abundant information including that of the peripheral retinal degenerative changes and it can contribute in accurately diagnosing DR.The need for an automatic DR diagnostic system based on WF-OCTA pictures attracts more and more attention due to the large diabetic population and the prevalence of retinopathy cases.In this study,automatic diagnosis of DR using vision transformer was performed using WF-OCTA images(12 mm×12 mm single-scan)centered on the fovea as the dataset.WF-OCTA images were automatically classified into four classes:No DR,mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy(NPDR),moderate to severe NPDR,and proliferative diabetic retinopathy(PDR).The proposed method for detecting DR on the test set achieves accuracy of 99.55%,sensitivity of 99.49%,and specificity of 99.57%.The accuracy of the method for DR staging reaches up to 99.20%,which has been proven to be higher than that attained by classical convolutional neural network models.Results show that the automatic diagnosis of DR based on vision transformer and WF-OCTA pictures is more effective for detecting and staging DR.

Gates joint locally connected network for accurate and robust reconstruction in optical molecular tomography

Optical molecular tomography(OMT)is a potential pre-clinical molecular imaging technique with applications in a variety of biomedical areas,which can provide non-invasive quantitative three-dimensional(3D)information regarding tumor distribution in living animals.The construction of optical transmission models and the application of reconstruction algorithms in traditional model-based reconstruction processes have affected the reconstruction results,resulting in problems such as low accuracy,poor robustness,and long-time consumption.Here,a gates joint locally connected network(GLCN)method is proposed by establishing the mapping relationship between the inside source distribution and the photon density on surface directly,thus avoiding the extra time consumption caused by iteration and the reconstruction errors caused by model inaccuracy.Moreover,gates module was composed of the concatenation and multiplication operators of three different gates.It was embedded into the network aiming at remembering input surface photon density over a period and allowing the network to capture neurons connected to the true source selectively by controlling three different gates.To evaluate the performance of the proposed method,numerical simulations were conducted,whose results demonstrated good performance in terms of reconstruction positioning accuracy and robustness.

Deep learning-based inpainting of saturation artifacts in optical coherence tomography images

Limited by the dynamic range of the detector,saturation artifacts usually occur in optical coherence tomography(OCT)imaging for high scattering media.The available methods are difficult to remove saturation artifacts and restore texture completely in OCT images.We proposed a deep learning-based inpainting method of saturation artifacts in this paper.The generation mechanism of saturation artifacts was analyzed,and experimental and simulated datasets were built based on the mechanism.Enhanced super-resolution generative adversarial networks were trained by the clear–saturated phantom image pairs.The perfect reconstructed results of experimental zebrafish and thyroid OCT images proved its feasibility,strong generalization,and robustness.

Evaluation of retinal and choroidal thickness changes in overweight and obese adults without ocular symptoms by swept-source optical coherence tomography

AIM:To evaluate the relationship of overweight and obesity with retinal and choroidal thickness in adults without ocular symptoms by swept-source optical coherence tomography(SS-OCT).METHODS:According to the body mass index(BMI)results,the adults enrolled in the cross-sectional study were divided into the normal group(18.50≤BMI<25.00 kg/m^(2)),the overweight group(25.00≤BMI<30.00 kg/m^(2)),and the obesity group(BMI≥30.00 kg/m^(2)).The one-way ANOVA and the Chi-square test were used for comparisons.Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationships between the measured variables.RESULTS:This research covered the left eyes of 3 groups of 434 age-and sex-matched subjects each:normal,overweight,and obesity.The mean BMI was 22.20±1.67,26.82±1.38,and 32.21±2.35 kg/m^(2) in normal,overweight and obesity groups,respectively.The choroid was significantly thinner in both the overweight and obesity groups compared to the normal group(P<0.05 for all),while the retinal thickness of the three groups did not differ significantly.Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that BMI was significantly negatively correlated with choroidal thickness,but no significant correlation was observed between BMI and retinal thickness.CONCLUSION:Choroidal thickness is decreased in people with overweight or obesity.Research on changes in choroidal thickness contributes to the understanding of the mechanisms of certain ocular disorders in overweight and obese adults.

Predictive visual field outcomes after optic chiasm decompressive surgery by retinal vessels parameters using optical coherence tomography angiography

AIM:To evaluate the predictive value of superficial retinal capillary plexus(SRCP)and radial peripapillary capillary(RPC)for visual field recovery after optic cross decompression and compare them with peripapillary nerve fiber layer(pRNFL)and ganglion cell complex(GCC).METHODS:This prospective longitudinal observational study included patients with chiasmal compression due to sellar region mass scheduled for decompressive surgery.Generalized estimating equations were used to compare retinal vessel density and retinal layer thickness preand post-operatively and with healthy controls.Logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between preoperative GCC,pRNFL,SRCP,and RPC parameters and visual field recovery after surgery.RESULTS:The study included 43 eyes of 24 patients and 48 eyes of 24 healthy controls.Preoperative RPC and SRCP vessel density and pRNFL and GCC thickness were lower than healthy controls and higher than postoperative values.The best predictive GCC and pRNFL models were based on the superior GCC[area under the curve(AUC)=0.866]and the tempo-inferior pRNFL(AUC=0.824),and the best predictive SRCP and RPC models were based on the nasal SRCP(AUC=0.718)and tempo-inferior RPC(AUC=0.825).There was no statistical difference in the predictive value of the superior GCC,tempo-inferior pRNFL,and tempo-inferior RPC(all P>0.05).CONCLUSION:Compression of the optic chiasm by tumors in the saddle area can reduce retinal thickness and blood perfusion.This reduction persists despite the recovery of the visual field after decompression surgery.GCC,pRNFL,and RPC can be used as sensitive predictors of visual field recovery after decompression surgery.

Distal-scanning common path probe for optical coherence tomography

In this paper,we present a distal-scanning common path probe for optical coherence tomography(OCT)equipped with a hollow ultrasonic motor and a simple and specially designed beam-splitter.This novel probe proves to be able to effectively circumvent polarization and dispersion mismatch caused by fiber motion and is more robust to a variety of interfering factors during the imaging process,experimentally compared to a conventional noncommon path probe.Furthermore,our design counteracts the attenuation of backscattering with depth and the fall-off of the signal,resulting in a more balanced signal range and greater imaging depth.Spectral-domain OCT imaging of phantom and biological tissue is also demonstrated with a sensitivity of∼100dB and a lateral resolution of∼3μm.This low-cost probe offers simplified system configuration and excellent robustness,and is therefore particularly suitable for clinical diagnosis as one-off medical apparatus.

Three-dimensional choroidal vascularity index and choroidal thickness in fellow eyes of acute and chronic primary angle-closure using swept-source optical coherence tomography

AIM:To compare the three-dimensional choroidal vascularity index(CVI)and choroidal thickness between fellow eyes of acute primary angle-closure(F-APAC)and chronic primary angle-closure glaucoma(F-CPACG)and the eyes of normal controls.METHODS:This study included 37 patients with unilateral APAC,37 with asymmetric CPACG without prior treatment,and 36 healthy participants.Using swept-source optical coherence tomography(SS-OCT),the macular and peripapillary choroidal thickness and three-dimensional CVI were measured and compared globally and sectorally.Pearson’s correlation analysis and multivariate regression models were used to evaluate choroidal thickness or CVI with related factors.RESULTS:The mean subfoveal CVIs were 0.35±0.10,0.33±0.09,and 0.29±0.04,and the mean subfoveal choroidal thickness were 315.62±52.92,306.22±59.29,and 262.69±45.55μm in the F-APAC,F-CPACG,and normal groups,respectively.All macular sectors showed significantly higher CVIs and choroidal thickness in the F-APAC and F-CPACG eyes than in the normal eyes(P<0.05),while there were no significant differences between the F-APAC and F-CPACG eyes.In the peripapillary region,the mean overall CVIs were 0.21±0.08,0.20±0.08,and 0.19±0.05,and the mean overall choroidal thickness were 180.45±54.18,174.82±50.67,and 176.18±37.94μm in the F-APAC,F-CPACG,and normal groups,respectively.There were no significant differences between any of the two groups in all peripapillary sectors.Younger age,shorter axial length,and the F-APAC or F-CPACG diagnosis were significantly associated with higher subfoveal CVI and thicker subfoveal choroidal thickness(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:The fellow eyes of unilateral APAC or asymmetric CPACG have higher macular CVI and choroidal thickness than those of the normal controls.Neither CVI nor choroidal thickness can distinguish between eyes predisposed to APAC or CPACG.A thicker choroid with a higher vascular volume may play a role in the pathogenesis of primary angle-closure glaucoma.

Automated evaluation of parapapillary choroidal microvasculature in crowded optic discs:a controlled,optical coherence tomography angiography study

AIM:To compare superficial and deep vascular properties of optic discs between crowded discs and controls using optical coherence tomography angiography(OCT-A).METHODS:Thirty patients with crowded discs,and 47 control subjects were enrolled in the study.One eye of each individual was included and OCT-A scans of optic discs were obtained in a 4.5×4.5 mm^(2) rectangular area.Radial peripapillary capillary(RPC)density,peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer(pRNFL)thickness,cup volume,rim area,disc area,cup-to-disc(c/d)area ratio,and vertical c/d ratio were obtained automatically using device software.Automated parapapillary choroidal microvasculature(PPCMv)density was calculated using MATLAB software.When the vertical c/d ratio of the optic disc was absent or small cup,it was considered as a crowded disc.RESULTS:The mean signal strength index of OCT-A images was similar between the crowded discs and control eyes(P=0.740).There was no difference in pRNFL between the two groups(P=0.102).There were no differences in RPC density in whole image(P=0.826)and peripapillary region(P=0.923),but inside disc RPC density was higher in crowded optic discs(P=0.003).The PPCMv density in the inner-hemisuperior region was also lower in crowded discs(P=0.026).The pRNFL thickness was positively correlated with peripapillary RPC density(r=0.498,P<0.001).The inside disc RPC density was negatively correlated with c/d area ratio(r=-0.341,P=0.002).CONCLUSION:The higher inside disc RPC density and lower inner-hemisuperior PPCMv density are found in eyes with crowded optic discs.

Retinal capillary plexus in Parkinson’s disease using optical coherence tomography angiography

AIM:To evaluate the alterations of the retinal microvasculature and foveal avascular zone in patients with Parkinson’s disease(PD)using optical coherence tomography angiography(OCT-A).METHODS:A retrospective study of PD patients examined in the Ophthalmology Department of the General Hospital of Athens,“Georgios Gennimatas”from March 2021 to March 2022 was conducted.Totally 44 patients with PD were included and 18 healthy controls were examined,hence a total of 124 eyes were enrolled in the study.The foveal and parafoveal superficial and deep capillary plexus vascular density(fSCP-VD,fDCP-VD,pSCP-VD,pDCP-CD)and foveal avascular zone(FAZ)were quantified with OCTA.Optical coherence tomography(OCT)was used to measure macular thickness.Our statistical analysis was conducted by using a mixed effect linear regression model.RESULTS:After adjustment for age and gender,the mean parafoveal superficial capillary plexus vascular density(pSCP-VD)and mean parafoveal deep capillary plexus vascular density(pDCP-VD)were significantly decreased in individuals with PD(P<0.001 in both)by-2.35(95%CI-3.3,-1.45)and-7.5(95%CI-10.4,-4.6)respectively.fSCP-VD and fDCP-VD didn’t approach statistical significance.The FAZ area and perimeter were significantly decreased(P<0.001 in both)by-0.1 mm^(2)(95%CI-0.13,-0.07)and-0.49 mm^(2)(95%CI-0.66,-0.32)respectively.Circularity didn’t approach statistical significance.Central retinal thickness(CRT)was significantly decreased in individuals with PD(P<0.001)by-23.1μm(95%CI-30.2,-16)and temporal retinal thickness(TRT)was decreased(P=0.025)by-11μm(95%CI-22,-1.5)while nasal retinal thickness(NRT)only approached statistical significance(P=0.066).CONCLUSION:The mean pSCP-VD,pDCP-VD,CRT and TRT are significantly decreased and FAZ is altered in individuals with PD.These findings can be potentially used as biomarkers for the diagnosis and evaluation of early PD.

Intravascular photoacoustic and optical coherence tomography imaging dual-mode system for detecting spontaneous coronary artery dissection: A feasibility study

In this work,we present an intravascular dual-mode endoscopic system capable of both intravascular photoacoustic imaging(IVPAI)and intravascular optical coherence tomography(IVOCT)for recognizing spontaneous coronary artery dissection(SCAD)phantoms.IVPAI provides high-resolution and high-penetration images of intramural hematoma(IMH)at different depths,so it is especially useful for imaging deep blood clots associated with imaging phantoms.IVOCT can readily visualize the double-lumen morphology of blood vessel walls to identify intimal tears.We also demonstrate the capability of this dual-mode endoscopic system using mimicking phantoms and biological samples of blood clots in ex vivo porcine arteries.The results of the experiments indicate that the combined IVPAI and IVOCT technique has the potential to provide a more accurate SCAD assessment method for clinical applications.

Microstructural morphology and visual acuity outcome in eyes with epiretinal membrane before,during,and after membrane peeling in intraoperative optical coherence tomography assisted macular surgery

AIM:To measure the difference of intraoperative central macular thickness(CMT)before,during,and after membrane peeling and investigate the influence of intraoperative macular stretching on postoperative best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)outcome and postoperative CMT development.METHODS:A total of 59 eyes of 59 patients who underwent vitreoretinal surgery for epiretinal membrane was analyzed.Videos with intraoperative optical coherence tomography(OCT)were recorded.Difference of intraoperative CMT before,during,and after peeling was measured.Pre-and postoperatively obtained BCVA and spectral-domain OCT images were analyzed.RESULTS:Mean age of the patients was 70±8.13y(range 46-86y).Mean baseline BCVA was 0.49±0.27 log MAR(range 0.1-1.3).Three and six months postoperatively the mean BCVA was 0.36±0.25(P=0.01 vs baseline)and 0.38±0.35(P=0.08 vs baseline)log MAR respectively.Mean stretch of the macula during surgery was 29%from baseline(range 2%-159%).Intraoperative findings of macular stretching did not correlate with visual acuity outcome within 6mo after surgery(r=-0.06,P=0.72).However,extent of macular stretching during surgery significantly correlated with less reduction of CMT at the fovea centralis(r=-0.43,P<0.01)and 1 mm nasal and temporal from the fovea(r=-0.37,P=0.02 and r=-0.50,P<0.01 respectively)3mo postoperatively.CONCLUSION:The extent of retinal stretching during membrane peeling may predict the development of postoperative central retinal thickness,though there is no correlation with visual acuity development within the first 6mo postoperatively.

In vivo quantification of human aqueous veins by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography and optical coherence tomography angiography images

AIM:To investigate the aqueous vein in vivo by using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography(EDI-OCT)and optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA).METHODS:In this cross-sectional comparative study,30 healthy participants were enrolled.Images of the aqueous and conjunctival veins were captured by EDI-OCT and OCTA before and after water loading.The area,height,width,location depth and blood flow of the aqueous vein and conjunctival vein were measured by Image J software.RESULTS:In the static state,the area of the aqueous vein was 8166.7±3272.7μm^(2),which was smaller than that of the conjunctival vein(13690±7457μm^(2),P<0.001).The mean blood flow density of the aqueous vein was 35.3%±12.6%,which was significantly less than that of the conjunctival vein(51.5%±10.6%,P<0.001).After water loading,the area of the aqueous vein decreased significantly from 8725.8±779.4μm^(2)(baseline)to 7005.2±566.2μm^(2)at 45min but rose to 7863.0±703.2μm^(2)at 60min(P=0.032).The blood flow density of the aqueous vein decreased significantly from 41.2%±4.5%(baseline)to 35.4%±3.2%at 30min but returned to 45.6%±3.6%at 60min(P=0.021).CONCLUSION:The structure and blood flow density of the aqueous vein can be effectively evaluated by OCT and OCTA.These may become biological indicators to evaluate aqueous vein changes and aqueous outflow resistance under different interventions in glaucoma patients.

Retinal thickness and vascular parameters using optical coherence tomography in Alzheimer's disease:a meta-analysis

Examining the retinal tissue has the potential to provide a unique method and technique to quantify Alzheimer’s disease-related changes in participants at various stages of the disease.In this metaanalysis,we aimed to investigate the association of various optical coherence tomography parameters with Alzheimer’s disease and whether retinal measurements can be used to diffe rentiate between Alzheimer’s disease and control subjects.Scientific databases including Google Schola r,Web of Science,and PubMed were systematically searched for published articles that evaluated retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and retinal microvascular network in Alzheimer’s disease and control subjects.Seventy-three studies(5850 participants,including 2249 Alzheimer’s disease patients and 3601controls) were included in this meta-analysis.Relative to controls,Alzheimer’s disease patients had a significantly lower global retinal nerve fiber layer thickness(standardized mean difference [SMD]=-0.79,95% confidence intervals [CI]:-1.03 to-0.54,P <0.00001) as well as each quadrant being thinner in Alzheimer’s disease versus controls.Regarding macular paramete rs,values measured by optical coherence tomography were significantly lower in Alzheimer’s disease than controls for macular thickness(pooled SMD:-0.44,95% CI:-0.67 to-0.20,P=0.0003),foveal thickness(pooled SMD=-0.39,95% CI:-0.58 to-0.19,P <0.0001),ganglion cell inner plexiform layer(SMD=-1.26,95% CI:-2.24 to-0.27,P=0.01) and macular volume(pooled SMD=-0.41,95% CI-0.76 to-0.07,P=0.02).Analysis using optical coherence tomography angiography parameters revealed mixed results between Alzheimer’s disease and controls.Superficial vessel density(pooled SMD=-0.42,95% CI:-0.68 to-0.17,P=0.0001) and deep vessel density(pooled SMD=-0.46,95% CI:-0.75 to-0.18,P=0.001) were found to be thinner in Alzheimer’s disease patients whereas the foveal avascular zone(SMD=0.84,95% CI:0.17-1.51,P=0.01) was larger in controls.Vascular density and thickness of various retinal laye rs were decreased in Alzheimer’s disease patients compared to controls.Our results provide evidence for optical coherence tomography technology having the potential to detect retinal and microvascular changes in patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and aid in monito ring and early diagnosis methods.

Automated Classification of Inherited Retinal Diseases in Optical Coherence Tomography Images Using Few-shot Learning

Objective To develop a few-shot learning(FSL) approach for classifying optical coherence tomography(OCT) images in patients with inherited retinal disorders(IRDs).Methods In this study, an FSL model based on a student–teacher learning framework was designed to classify images. 2,317 images from 189 participants were included. Of these, 1,126 images revealed IRDs, 533 were normal samples, and 658 were control samples.Results The FSL model achieved a total accuracy of 0.974–0.983, total sensitivity of 0.934–0.957, total specificity of 0.984–0.990, and total F1 score of 0.935–0.957, which were superior to the total accuracy of the baseline model of 0.943–0.954, total sensitivity of 0.866–0.886, total specificity of 0.962–0.971,and total F1 score of 0.859–0.885. The performance of most subclassifications also exhibited advantages. Moreover, the FSL model had a higher area under curves(AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curves in most subclassifications.Conclusion This study demonstrates the effective use of the FSL model for the classification of OCT images from patients with IRDs, normal, and control participants with a smaller volume of data. The general principle and similar network architectures can also be applied to other retinal diseases with a low prevalence.

Retinal neurodegeneration in metabolic syndrome:a spectral optical coherence tomography study

AIM:To evaluate the effects of metabolic syndrome(Met S)on retinal neurodegeneration by optical coherence tomography(OCT).METHODS:Patients diagnosed as Met S were compared with the age and sex-matched healthy control group(CG).Waist circumference measurements,fasting serological biochemical tests,and systemic blood pressures of all participants were evaluated.The Met S group was divided into 3 subgroups according to the number of Met S components:hypertension,diabetes mellitus,dyslipidemia(low-,high-density lipoprotein,hypertriglyceridemia),and visceral obesity findings;3-component Met S3,4-component Met S4,and all-component Met S5.All patients underwent complete eye examination and spectral OCT retinal imaging.RESULTS:Totally 58 eyes of 58 patients were included in the Met S group and 63 eyes of 63 age and sex-matched healthy subjects were included in CG.Met S group was composed of 22 subjects in Met S3,21 subjects in Met S4,and 15 subjects in the Met S5 subgroup.Mean foveal thickness(Met S,218.7±23.1μm vs CG,228.8±21.9μm,P=0.015),mean inferior(Met S,283.4±17.0μm vs CG,288.7±38.4μm,P=0.002),superior(Met S,287.0±18.5μm vs CG 297.3±17.1μm,P=0.001),nasal(Met S 287.3±16.7μm vs CG 297.9±13.9μm,P=0.000)and temporal(274.5±17.6μm vs CG 285.6±13.6μm,P=0.000)thickness in the 3 mm Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study(ETDRS)circle was significantly lower in the Met S group.There was no statistically significant difference in the mean inferior,superior,nasal,and temporal thickness of 6 mm ETDRS circle,total macular volume,peripapillary and macular retinal nerve fiber layer,macular ganglion cell layer with inner plexiform layer,and ganglion cell complex.No statistically significant difference was found in these values between the Met S3,Met S4,and the Met S5 groups.CONCLUSION:A significant reduction in central macular region thickness in Met S is detected and macular thickness is more susceptible to Met S induced neurodegeneration than peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer.