Computer analysis of optic disc images in glaucoma

描述(申请人提供)：青光眼的诊断、治疗和研究取决于对视盘(或视神经头)、视野和眼压的复杂判断。目前的视盘评估标准要求观察者对视盘的立体照片进行定性判断，这是一种不太理想的方法。尽管进行了大量研究，但还没有一种方法比传统方法有决定性的改进：现代视盘分析仪通常使用仪器特有的图像捕获方法，并对视盘的各种解剖特征得出定量估计。我们的目标是通过将计算机工程的先进图像分析方法应用于青光眼的基本诊断问题-检测视盘图像随时间的变化或稳定性-来改进视盘诊断的方法。宾夕法尼亚大学在临床青光眼、翻译研究(R.Stone，Pi；E.Miller，J.Piltz-Seymour等)和生物统计学(M.Maguire，G.-S.Ying)方面的专业知识与Sarnoff公司(B.Hanna，H.Sawhney等)在计算机图像分析方面的工程专业知识在生物工程研究伙伴关系中合并，以实现四个具体目标：1)开发和验证用于自动对准光盘图像的稳健配准算法；2)开发自动多视图分析方法，以从视盘立体图像中提取相对的、局部变化参数；3)开发交互式工具，以协助观察者对视盘图像进行分级，并在临床上解释自动变化检测和立体算法；以及4)对视盘变化检测工具进行初步验证研究。我们的立体声计划主要与其他视神经分析方法不同，但它为验证、临床护理和研究提供了许多优势，这是当代眼底分析仪的仪器特定格式所不能实现的。我们的方法只需要一台个人计算机和软件来分析光盘图像，临床上是直观的，可以适应软件和相机技术的改进，与许多图像格式兼容，允许使用存档的眼底照片，并且具有成本效益。改进的立体恢复方法将使视盘稳定或变化的可靠检测成为可能，并为推进青光眼视神经诊断提供了巨大的希望。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Glaucoma diagnosis, management and research depend on complex judgments of the optic disc (or optic nerve head), visual field and intraocular pressure. The current standard of optic disc evaluation requires qualitative observer judgments of stereoscopic photographs of the optic disc, a less than optimal method. Despite much research, no methods have yet conclusively improved over this conventional Approach: Contemporary optic disc analyzers typically use instrument-specific image capture methods and derive quantitative estimates for various anatomical features of the optic disc. Our goal is to improve the methods of optic disc diagnosis by applying advanced image analysis methods from computer engineering to the essential diagnostic problem in glaucoma - detecting change or stability in optic disc images over time. Expertise at the University of Pennsylvania in clinical glaucoma, translational research (R. Stone, PI; E. Miller, J. Piltz-Seymour and others) and biostatistics (M. Maguire, G.-S. Ying) is merged with engineering expertise in computer image analysis at Sarnoff Corporation (B. Hanna, H. Sawhney, and others) in a Bioengineering Research Partnership with four Specific Aims: 1) Develop and validate robust registration algorithms for automatic alignment of optic disc images; 2) Develop an automated multiple-view analysis approach to extract relative, local change parameters from optic disc stereo images; 3) Develop interactive tools to assist in observer grading of optic disc images and in clinical interpretation of the automated change detection and stereoscopic algorithms; and 4) Conduct initial validation studies of the optic disc change detection tools. Our plan to address stereo primarily differs from other approaches to optic nerve analysis, but it offers many advantages for validation, clinical care and research not possible with the instrument-specific formats of contemporary fundus analyzers. Requiring only a personal computer and software to analyze optic disc images, our approach is clinically intuitive, can accommodate improvements in software and camera technology, is compatible with many image formats, permits use of archived fundus photos and is cost-effective. The refined approach to stereo recovery will permit robust detection of optic disc stability or change, and it offers great promise for advancing optic nerve diagnosis in glaucoma.