Subclinical Retinal versus Brain Findings in Infants with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy.

PURPOSE: To detect retinal features and abnormalities on optical coherence tomography (OCT) without pupil dilation and relate these to brain injury in infants with a clinical diagnosis of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). METHODS: Under an institutional review board-approved protocol, we imaged eight infants without pharmacologic mydriasis, using handheld, non-contact spectral-domain (Leica Microsystems, IL) or investigational swept-source OCT at the bedside in an intensive care nursery, after birth (depending on primary clinical care team permission based on health status) and weekly until discharge. The newborn infant with HIE is neurologically unstable; therefore, pharmacologic mydriasis and stimulation with visible light for retinal examination are usually avoided. We analyzed images for retinal pathologies, central foveal thickness, and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness at the papillomacular bundle and compared them to historical controls and published normative data, HIE clinical assessment, and abnormalities on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). RESULTS: On OCT, three of eight infants had bilateral multiple small macular and perimacular cystoid spaces; two of these three infants also had pronounced retinal ganglion cell layer thinning and severe brain injury on MRI and the third had bilateral paracentral acute middle maculopathy and mild brain injury on MRI. Other findings in HIE infant eyes included abnormally thin fovea and thin RNFL and markers of retinal immaturity such as the absence of sub-foveal photoreceptor development and sub-foveal fluid. CONCLUSIONS: Bedside handheld OCT imaging within the first 2 weeks of life revealed retinal injury in infants with HIE-related brain injury. Future studies may determine the relationship between acute/subacute retinal abnormalities and brain injury severity and neurodevelopmental outcomes in HIE.

Three-dimensional pattern of extraretinal neovascular development in retinopathy of prematurity.

BACKGROUND: The application of three-dimensional (3D) visualization techniques to evaluate the earliest visible onset of abnormal retinal vascular development in preterm infants with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), using bedside non-contact optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging to characterize morphology and sequential structural changes of abnormal extraretinal neovascularization. METHODS: Thirty-one preterm infants undergoing routine ROP screening with written informed consent for research imaging were enrolled in this prospective observational study. We imaged the macula and temporal periphery of preterm infants using a handheld OCT system (Envisu 2300 or handheld swept-source research system). The scans obtained were segmented and, using enhanced ray casting, were converted to 3D volumes to which color filter was applied. RESULTS: Using colorized 3D visualization, we defined extraretinal neovascular structures as buds, bridging networks, and placoid lesions. We could longitudinally follow progression and regression of extraretinal neovascularization in stage 3 ROP after treatment in one infant over 12 weeks and document the appearance of early buds, and formation of florid neovascularization. From stages 2 to 3 ROP, we observed progression from sessile buds to a complex plaque that corresponded to stage 3 ROP on clinical examination. We demonstrated regression of neovascular complexes to small pre-retinal tufts after treatment with anti-VEGF. CONCLUSIONS: The extension of OCT processing to include surface flattening and colorization that further improved structural analysis rendered better understanding of extraretinal tissue. Our ability to image similar areas in the same infant over multiple visits enabled us to study the evolution of these structural components and follow pathological vascular events longitudinally in development and regression after treatment. These methods can be applied to further study which are likely contribute to our understanding of the pathophysiology of neovascularization in ROP.

LONGITUDINAL CHANGES IN THE OPTIC NERVE HEAD AND RETINA OVER TIME IN VERY YOUNG CHILDREN WITH FAMILIAL EXUDATIVE VITREORETINOPATHY.

PURPOSE: To explore vitreoretinal pathologies and their longitudinal changes visible on handheld optical coherence tomography (OCT) of young children with familial exudative vitreoretinopathy. METHODS: The authors retrospectively analyzed handheld OCT images for vitreoretinal interface and retinal abnormalities and optic nerve head (ONH) elevation. RESULTS: From 26 eyes of 16 children (mean age 32 months) with familial exudative vitreoretinopathy, 10 had ONH dragging on photographs, and in these, handheld OCT revealed temporal and anterior retinal displacement, prominent vitreopapillary adhesion or traction, and retinal nerve fiber layer thickening at ONH margins with adjacent retinal elevation. Despite a nearly normal photographic appearance, handheld OCT revealed ONH elevation with vitreopapillary traction (6/16 eyes), ONH edema (1/16 eye), and retinal vascular protrusion (5/16 eyes). Handheld OCT-visualized vitreous abnormalities (18/26 eyes) were more prevalent at higher stages of disease. Handheld OCT-visualized elevation of ONH and the retina worsened over time in nine eyes and improved in 5/6 eyes after vitrectomy. CONCLUSION: Handheld OCT can detect early ONH, retinal, and vitreous changes in eyes with familial exudative vitreoretinopathy. Contraction of strongly adherent vitreous in young patients with familial exudative vitreoretinopathy appears to cause characteristic ONH dragging and tractional complications without partial posterior vitreous detachment. Vitreopapillary dragging may be visible only on OCT and may progress in the absence of obvious retinal change on conventional examination.

VISUALIZATION FROM INTRAOPERATIVE SWEPT-SOURCE MICROSCOPE-INTEGRATED OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY IN VITRECTOMY FOR COMPLICATIONS OF PROLIFERATIVE DIABETIC RETINOPATHY.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the use of live volumetric (4D) intraoperative swept-source microscope-integrated optical coherence tomography in vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy complications. METHODS: In this prospective study, we analyzed a subgroup of patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy complications who required vitrectomy and who were imaged by the research swept-source microscope-integrated optical coherence tomography system. In near real time, images were displayed in stereo heads-up display facilitating intraoperative surgeon feedback. Postoperative review included scoring image quality, identifying different diabetic retinopathy-associated pathologies and reviewing the intraoperatively documented surgeon feedback. RESULTS: Twenty eyes were included. Indications for vitrectomy were tractional retinal detachment (16 eyes), combined tractional-rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (2 eyes), and vitreous hemorrhage (2 eyes). Useful, good-quality 2D (B-scans) and 4D images were obtained in 16/20 eyes (80%). In these eyes, multiple diabetic retinopathy complications could be imaged. Swept-source microscope-integrated optical coherence tomography provided surgical guidance, e.g., in identifying dissection planes under fibrovascular membranes, and in determining residual membranes and traction that would benefit from additional peeling. In 4/20 eyes (20%), acceptable images were captured, but they were not useful due to high tractional retinal detachment elevation which was challenging for imaging. CONCLUSION: Swept-source microscope-integrated optical coherence tomography can provide important guidance during surgery for proliferative diabetic retinopathy complications through intraoperative identification of different complications and facilitation of intraoperative decision making.

ASSESSMENT OF THE RETINAL STRUCTURE IN CHILDREN WITH INCONTINENTIA PIGMENTI.

PURPOSE: This report aims at expanding the current knowledge of retinal microanatomy in children with incontinentia pigmenti using hand-held spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT). METHODS: We reviewed OCT scans from 7 children (4 weeks-13 years) obtained either in the clinic or during an examination under anesthesia. The scans were analyzed for anatomical changes in the outer and inner retina, by certified graders. Medical records were assessed for systemic findings. RESULTS: We observed abnormal retinal findings unilaterally in three children. We found inner and outer retinal thinning temporally in two participants. This thinning was present prior to and persisted after treatment. One child showed a distorted foveal contour and significant retinal thickening secondary to dense epiretinal membrane and vitreomacular traction. All other children had normal retinae. CONCLUSION: Hand-held SDOCT imaging of the retina has brought to light additional retinal structural defects that were not previously reported or visualized via routine clinical ophthalmic examination including retinal photography. Despite a normal foveal structure and visual acuity, we identified inner and outer retinal thinning on SDOCT which may benefit from future functional assessment such as visual field testing.

A pilot optical coherence tomography angiography classification of retinal neovascularization in retinopathy of prematurity.

Extraretinal neovascularization is a hallmark of treatment-requiring retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) offers vascular flow and depth information not available from indirect ophthalmoscopy and structural OCT, but OCTA is only commercially available as a tabletop device. In this study, we used an investigational handheld OCTA device to study the vascular flow in and around retinal neovascularization in seven preterm infants with treatment-requiring ROP and contrasted them to images of vascular flow in six infants of similar age without neovascular ROP. We showed stages of retinal neovascularization visible in preterm infants from 32 to 47 weeks postmenstrual age: Intraretinal neovascularization did not break through the internal limiting membrane; Subclinical neovascular buds arose from retinal vasculature with active flow through the internal limiting membrane; Flat neovascularization in aggressive ROP assumed a low-lying configuration compared to elevated extraretinal neovascular plaques; Regressed neovascularization following treatment exhibited decreased vascular flow within the preretinal tissue, but flow persisted in segments of retinal vessels elevated from their original intraretinal location. These findings enable a pilot classification of retinal neovascularization in eyes with ROP using OCTA, and may be helpful in detailed monitoring of disease progression, treatment response and predicting reactivation.

MACULAR NEUROVASCULAR ABNORMALITIES IN A CHILD WITH INCONTINENTIA PIGMENTI ON HANDHELD OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY.

PURPOSE: To report macular neurovascular abnormalities in a child with incontinentia pigmenti using handheld optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCT-A). METHODS: An eye of a child with incontinentia pigmenti enrolled in BabySTEPS was imaged using an investigational noncontact, handheld swept-source OCT device during examination under anesthesia. Custom MATLAB scripts were used to generate depth-resolved vascular slabs, B-scans with flow overlay, and retinal thickness maps. RESULTS: Depth-resolved OCT and OCT-A imaging demonstrated focal areas of decreased capillary flow that corresponded to areas of both inner retinal and outer retinal thinning on retinal thickness maps. Atypical diving of superficial retinal vessels occurred as they traversed from thin retina to normal-thickness retina. CONCLUSION: Depth-resolved OCT and OCT-A identified retinal vascular abnormalities that were not evident on fundus photography or fluorescein angiography. This case depicted concurrent, localized abnormalities in retinal thickness and microvasculature in an eye with incontinentia pigmenti.

Methods for real-time feature-guided image fusion of intrasurgical volumetric optical coherence tomography with digital microscopy.

4D-microscope-integrated optical coherence tomography (4D-MIOCT) is an emergent multimodal imaging technology in which live volumetric OCT (4D-OCT) is implemented in tandem with standard stereo color microscopy. 4D-OCT provides ophthalmic surgeons with many useful visual cues not available in standard microscopy; however it is challenging for the surgeon to effectively integrate cues from simultaneous-but-separate imaging in real-time. In this work, we demonstrate progress towards solving this challenge via the fusion of data from each modality guided by segmented 3D features. In this way, a more readily interpretable visualization that combines and registers important cues from both modalities is presented to the surgeon.

Visualization of surgical maneuvers using intraoperative real-time volumetric optical coherence tomography.

Ophthalmic microsurgery is traditionally performed using stereomicroscopes and requires visualization and manipulation of sub-millimeter tissue structures with limited contrast. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging modality that can provide high-resolution, depth-resolved cross sections, and has become a valuable tool in clinical practice in ophthalmology. While there has been substantial progress in both research and commercialization efforts to bring OCT imaging into live surgery, its use is still somewhat limited due to factors such as low imaging speed, limited scan configurations, and suboptimal data visualization. In this paper we describe, to the best of our knowledge, the translation of the fastest swept-source intraoperative OCT system with real-time volumetric imaging with stereoscopic data visualization provided via a heads-up display into the operating room. Results from a sampling of human anterior segment and retinal surgeries chosen from 93 human surgeries using the system are shown and the benefits that this mode of intrasurgical OCT imaging provides are discussed.

Quantitative measurements of intraocular structures and microinjection bleb volumes using intraoperative optical coherence tomography.

Intraoperative optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems provide high-resolution, real-time visualization and/or guidance of microsurgical procedures. While the use of intraoperative OCT in ophthalmology has significantly improved qualitative visualization of surgical procedures inside the eye, new surgical techniques to deliver therapeutics have highlighted the lack of quantitative information available with current-generation intraoperative systems. Indirect viewing systems used for retinal surgeries introduce distortions into the resulting OCT images, making it particularly challenging to make calibrated quantitative measurements. Using an intraoperative OCT system based in part on the Leica Enfocus surgical microscope interface, we have devised novel measurement procedures, which allowed us to build optical and mathematical models to perform validation of quantitative measurements of intraocular structures for intraoperative OCT. These procedures optimize a complete optical model of the sample arm including the OCT scanner, viewing attachments, and the patient's eye, thus obtaining the voxel pitch throughout an OCT volume and performing quantitative measurements of the dimensions of imaged objects within the operative field. We performed initial validation by measuring objects of known size in a controlled eye phantom as well as ex vivo porcine eyes. The technique was then extended to measure other objects and structures in ex vivo porcine eyes and in vivo human eyes.

Hybrid spiral scanning in a double-clad fiber-based handheld confocal scanning light ophthalmoscope.

High-speed, accessible, and robust in vivo imaging of the human retina is critical for screening of retinal pathologies, such as diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and others. Scanning light ophthalmoscopy (SLO) is a retinal imaging modality that produces digital, en face images of the human retina with superior image gradability rates when compared to the current standard of care in screening for these diseases, namely the flood-illumination handheld fundus camera (HFC). However, current-generation commercial SLO systems are mostly tabletop devices, limiting their accessibility and utility in screening applications. Moreover, most existing SLO systems use raster scan patterns, which are both inefficient and lead to undesired subject gaze drift when used with visible or pseudo-visible illumination. Non-raster scan patterns, especially spiral scanning as described herein, promise advantages in both scan efficiency and reduced subject eye motion. In this work, we introduce a novel "hybrid spiral" scan pattern and the associated hardware design and real-time image reconstruction techniques necessary for its implementation in an SLO system. Building upon this core hybrid spiral scanning SLO (HSS-SLO) technology, we go on to present a complete handheld HSS-SLO system, featuring a fiber-coupled portable patient interface which leverages a dual-clad fiber (DCF) to form a single-path optical topology, thus ensuring mechanically robust co-alignment of illumination and collection apertures, a necessity for a handheld system. The feasibility of HSS-SLO for handheld, in vivo imaging is demonstrated by imaging eight human volunteers.

Erratum: Methods for real-time feature-guided image fusion of intrasurgical volumetric optical coherence tomography with digital microscopy: publisher's note.

[This corrects the article on p. 3308 in vol. 14, PMID: 37497493.].

Video-rate high-precision time-frequency multiplexed 3D coherent ranging.

Frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) is an emerging 3D ranging technology that offers high sensitivity and ranging precision. Due to the limited bandwidth of digitizers and the speed limitations of beam steering using mechanical scanners, meter-scale FMCW LiDAR systems typically suffer from a low 3D frame rate, which greatly restricts their applications in real-time imaging of dynamic scenes. In this work, we report a high-speed FMCW based 3D imaging system, combining a grating for beam steering with a compressed time-frequency analysis approach for depth retrieval. We thoroughly investigate the localization accuracy and precision of our system both theoretically and experimentally. Finally, we demonstrate 3D imaging results of multiple static and moving objects, including a flexing human hand. The demonstrated technique achieves submillimeter localization accuracy over a tens-of-centimeter imaging range with an overall depth voxel acquisition rate of 7.6 MHz, enabling densely sampled 3D imaging at video rate.

COMBINED INTERNAL LIMITING MEMBRANE FLAP AND AUTOLOGOUS PLASMA CONCENTRATE TO CLOSE A LARGE TRAUMATIC MACULAR HOLE IN A PEDIATRIC PATIENT.

PURPOSE: To describe a case of a large, traumatic macular hole in a pediatric patient closed using an internal limiting membrane flap in combination with autologous plasma concentrate (APC). METHODS: Description of a surgical technique as performed in one patient. RESULTS: Successful macular hole closure and improvement in postoperative visual acuity were achieved in the patient in whom the technique was performed. CONCLUSION: The combined use of APC with the internal limiting membrane flap is advantageous because the APC acts to hold the internal limiting membrane in proper position and promotes the proliferation of glial cells through the presence of growth factors. This technique may be particularly advantageous in chronic or recalcitrant holes particularly in the setting of trauma.

Development of a Preclinical Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging Instrument for Assessing Systemic and Retinal Vascular Function in Small Rodents.

Purpose: To develop and test a non-contact, contrast-free, retinal laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) instrument for use in small rodents to assess vascular anatomy, quantify hemodynamics, and measure physiological changes in response to retinal vascular dysfunction over a wide field of view (FOV). Methods: A custom LSCI instrument capable of wide-field and non-contact imaging in small rodents was constructed. The effect of camera gain, laser power, and exposure duration on speckle contrast variance was standardized before the repeatability of LSCI measurements was determined in vivo. Finally, the ability of LSCI to detect alterations in local and systemic vascular function was evaluated using a laser-induced branch retinal vein occlusion and isoflurane anesthesia model, respectively. Results: The LSCI system generates contrast-free maps of retinal blood flow with a 50° FOV at >376 frames per second (fps) and under a short exposure duration (>50 µs) with high reliability (intraclass correlation R = 0.946). LSCI was utilized to characterize retinal vascular anatomy affected by laser injury and longitudinally measure alterations in perfusion and blood flow profile. Under varied doses of isoflurane, LSCI could assess cardiac and systemic vascular function, including heart rate, peripheral resistance, contractility, and pulse propagation. Conclusions: We present a LSCI system for detecting anatomical and physiological changes in retinal and systemic vascular health and function in small rodents. Translational Relevance: Detecting and quantifying early anatomical and physiological changes in vascular function in animal models of retinal, systemic, and neurodegenerative diseases could strengthen our understanding of disease progression and enable the identification of new prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for disease management and for assessing treatment efficacies.

Contactless optical coherence tomography of the eyes of freestanding individuals with a robotic scanner.

Clinical systems for optical coherence tomography (OCT) are used routinely to diagnose and monitor patients with a range of ocular diseases. They are large tabletop instruments operated by trained staff, and require mechanical stabilization of the head of the patient for positioning and motion reduction. Here we report the development and performance of a robot-mounted OCT scanner for the autonomous contactless imaging, at safe distances, of the eyes of freestanding individuals without the need for operator intervention or head stabilization. The scanner uses robotic positioning to align itself with the eye to be imaged, as well as optical active scanning to locate the pupil and to attenuate physiological eye motion. We show that the scanner enables the acquisition of OCT volumetric datasets, comparable in quality to those of clinical tabletop systems, that resolve key anatomic structures relevant for the management of common eye conditions. Robotic OCT scanners may enable the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with eye conditions in non-specialist clinics.

Robotically aligned optical coherence tomography with 5 degree of freedom eye tracking for subject motion and gaze compensation.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has revolutionized diagnostics in ophthalmology. However, OCT requires a trained operator and patient cooperation to carefully align a scanner with the subject's eye and orient it in such a way that it images a desired region of interest at the retina. With the goal of automating this process of orienting and aligning the scanner, we developed a robot-mounted OCT scanner that automatically aligned with the pupil while matching its optical axis with the target region of interest at the retina. The system used two 3D cameras for face tracking and three high-resolution 2D cameras for pupil and gaze tracking. The tracking software identified 5 degrees of freedom for robot alignment and ray aiming through the ocular pupil: 3 degrees of translation (x, y, z) and 2 degrees of orientation (yaw, pitch). We evaluated the accuracy, precision, and range of our tracking system and demonstrated imaging performance on free-standing human subjects. Our results demonstrate that the system stabilized images and that the addition of gaze tracking and aiming allowed for region-of-interest specific alignment at any gaze orientation within a 28° range.

Macular OCT Characteristics at 36 Weeks' Postmenstrual Age in Infants Examined for Retinopathy of Prematurity.

PURPOSE: To report our ability to capture,-grade reliably, and analyze bedside macular OCT images from preterm infants and relate OCT findings to biological factors and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) status at a single time window in the Study of Eye Imaging in Preterm Infants (BabySTEPS). DESIGN: Prospective, observational study. PARTICIPANTS: Preterm infants eligible for ROP screening with parental consent for research and a 36 ± 1 weeks' postmenstrual age (PMA) visit. METHODS: We imaged both eyes of preterm infants with an investigational noncontact, handheld swept-source (SS) OCT at the time of clinical ROP examinations. Macular OCT features and layer thicknesses for untreated eyes of infants at 36 ± 1 weeks' PMA were compared with demographic data and clinical ROP examination performed by experts. Statistical analyses accounted for the use of both eyes of infants. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Macular OCT features and layer thicknesses, gender, race or ethnicity, gestational age, birth weight, ROP stage, and plus disease. RESULTS: We captured macular OCT from 169 eyes (1 eye excluded because of prior ROP treatment) at 36 ± 1 weeks' PMA. The quality of OCT volumes was excellent in 33 eyes (19%), acceptable in 112 eyes (67%), poor in 24 eyes (14%), and unusable in 0 eyes (0%). Macular edema was present in 60% of eyes and was bilateral in 82% of infants with edema. At the fovea, retinal and inner nuclear layer thickness increased with edema severity: 183 ± 36 µm and 51 ± 27 µm in mild (16% of eyes), 308 ± 57 µm and 163 ± 53 µm in moderate (25%), and 460 ± 76 µm and 280 ± 83 µm in severe edema (12%), respectively. With an increase in ROP stage from 0 to 2, the mean ± standard deviation retinal thickness at the fovea increased from 227± 124 µm to 297 ± 99 µm (P < 0.001). The choroid was thinner, 155 ± 72 µm, with preplus or plus disease versus without, 236 ± 79 µm (P = 0.04), whereas retinal thickness did not vary. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated the reliability of methods and the prevalence of OCT findings in preterm infants enrolled in BabySTEPS at a single time point of 36 ± 1 weeks' PMA. Variations in layer thicknesses in infants at this time point may reflect abnormalities resulting from delay in foveal development that may be impacted by macular edema, ROP, or both.