Analysis of the outer retina reconstructed by high-resolution, three-dimensional spectral domain optical coherence tomography.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to demonstrate an analysis of an outer retinal layer reconstructed by the three-dimensional and high-speed spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) instrument. PATIENTS AND METHODS: New measurement protocols for SD-OCT and methods of analysis and visualization of the individual segmented retinal layer reconstructed by SD-OCT were proposed. Three contour maps representing mutual distances between the basal part of the retinal pigment epithelium, the junction between the inner and outer segments of photoreceptors, and a reference contour representing the shape of a healthy retina were introduced. RESULTS: The analysis of the outer retina was performed on pathological eyes. Three cases of central serous chorioretinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and acute zonal occult outer retinopathy are demonstrated. CONCLUSION: Three contour maps reconstructed for clinical cases demonstrate high variability of observed patterns depending on analyzed pathology. The authors believe this can help to present OCT data simultaneously in a more comprehensive and convenient way to assist in everyday clinical diagnosis.