Editors Selection (IGR: 10-3) | International Glaucoma Review #31

Editors Selection IGR 10-3

Clinical examination methods: OCT news

Comment by Joel Schuman on:

13046 Spectral domain optical coherence tomography: Ultra-high speed, ultra-high resolution ophthalmic imaging, Chen TC; Cense B; Pierce MC et al., Archives of Ophthalmology, 2005; 123: 1715-1720

Chen et al. (910) wrote an exciting article on the development of high-speed ultrahigh resolution optical coherence tomography (hsUHR-OCT), also called spectral domain OCT or Fourier domain OCT. In 'Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography: Ultra-high Speed, Ultra-high Resolution Ophthalmic Imaging', the authors describe two devices created by the group, one capable of scanning at 29,000 A-scans/second with 6 micron axial resolution, and the other scanning at nearly 15,000 A-scans/second with 3.5 micron axial resolution.

Fourier domain OCT was introduced by Fercher et al. in 1995^.1 The technique permits high speed scanning, since it has extremely high sensitivity and all of the information from a given A-scan is acquired simultaneously. Several laboratories have created spectral or Fourier domain OCT devices, some with high or ultrahigh resolution. In this article, the group describes and demonstrates scans of a normal eye of a single healthy 39 year-old individual. The scans are of high quality and show the ability to discriminate retinal layers with considerably more definition that with the currently available Stratus OCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc., Dublin, CA). They also show that while 6 micron axial resolution improves on Stratus OCT, still more layers of the retina can be seen with 3.5 micron hsUHR-OCT. Further, they demonstrate in vivo Doppler hsUHR-OCT, illustrating retinal blood flow.

High speed ultra-high resolution OCT has the potential to revolutionize retinal imaging. By enabling the acquisition of three dimensional datasets this technology will make possible new methods of data analysis, including volumetric assessment, previously impossible with OCT. Three-dimensional datasets may improve image registration, enhancing reproducibility, and potentially improving sensitivity and specificity of measures. In the future, hsUHR-OCT may permit the visualization of previously unseen ocular structures, and may be helpful in directing and evaluating clinical patient care. This is a rapidly evolving technology with a bright future ahead.

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Issue 10-3

Table of Contents Editor's Selection