Software to Aid Assessment of Macular Edema

描述（由申请人提供）：在5%的北美人中， 发展糖尿病，4- 15%发展黄斑水肿每年约8000 登记为法定盲人临床医生诊断简单 局部（而非弥漫性）水肿，有明显（2倍或更高） 视网膜厚度增加。然而，敏感性小的增加， 弥漫性水肿是不可能的。这些限制阻碍了早期诊断、随访 监测和激光光凝的准确性和完整性 治疗提出了一种软件算法，结合扫描 激光断层扫描，将帮助医生检测微妙或弥漫性增加， 通过提供厚度的绝对测量值，并通过提供 它在视网膜上的高x，y分辨率（约10微米）的领域。这将 帮助医生早期发现水肿，提高实用性和完整性 激光治疗。反射激光强度的轮廓， 表示组织沿着z轴（进入视网膜的深度）的反射率， 被收集在一系列光学切片图像中。这些配置文件是 受视网膜厚度的影响，并具有关于厚度的信息 包含在其中。它们将使用特殊的最大值进行处理 似然参数估计算法提取视网膜厚度 穿过视网膜，尤其是在黄斑周围的区域。的 本研究的目的是实现原型软件，并测试此 软件的可行性，其原则。可行性标准是基于 在显示所得到的视网膜厚度测量值与 通过光学相干断层扫描进行基准测量。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Of the 5 percent of North Americans who develop diabetes, 4-15 percent develop macular edema about 8000 per annum register as legally blind. It is simple for the clinician to diagnosis localized (rather than diffuse) edema that has a marked (2 fold or higher) increase in retinal thickness. However, sensitivity to small increases and diffuse edema is not possible. These limits prevent early diagnosis, follow-up monitoring and the accuracy and completeness of laser photocoagulation treatment. A software algorithm is proposed which, in conjunction with scanning laser tomography, will help the physician detect subtle or diffuse increases in thickness by providing and absolute measure of it and by providing a mapping of it over the retinal field of high x, y resolution (about 10 microns). This will help the physicians to see edema early and improve the utility and completeness of laser treatment. Profiles of reflected laser-light intensity, which represent the reflectance of tissue along the z axis (depth into the retina), are collected within a series of optically sectioned images. These profiles are affected by the retinal thickness and have information about the thickness contained within them. They will be processed using a special maximum likelihood parameter estimation algorithm to extract the retinal thickness across the retina, and especially in the region in the around the macula. The objective of this research is to implement prototype software and test this software for feasibility of its principles. The feasibility criterion is based upon showing that the resulting retinal thickness measurements agree with benchmark measurements taken by optical coherence tomography.