Enabling Technologies for Next-Generation Ophthalmic OCT

描述（由申请人提供）：自20世纪90年代初引入以来，光学相干断层扫描（OCT）通过其以微米级分辨率无创成像视网膜病变的能力，对眼科诊断产生了重大影响。最近对前段OCT成像的展示表明，这项技术也可能很快在角膜病变、青光眼和屈光手术的诊断中得到常规应用。最近推出了两种新的光学技术，它们有望再次彻底改变眼科OCT，但目前每种技术都受到技术限制，限制了它们的潜在适用性。最近引入的光谱域OCT （SDOCT）用于视网膜成像，通过允许比传统的时域方法快100倍的图像采集速率，极大地改变了景观。重要的是，这一进步允许快速积累体积黄斑数据集，其中单个横截面图像很容易与其确切的黄斑位置相关联，并且可以在三维空间中表征病理。然而，目前的SDOCT实现受到基本技术限制，将可用成像深度限制在~2mm，并且图像信噪比作为深度的函数在~1mm以下显着下降。因此，这种令人兴奋的新功能不适合成像玻璃体异常，深视网膜/脉络膜病变，视神经头形态，或任何比角膜前段更深的结构。第二个可能对眼科诊断产生重大影响的光学创新是最近引入的OCT分子对比成像技术。IGG血管造影是眼科的一项基本诊断技术，但由于OCT对非相干散射过程固有的不敏感，因此在OCT中无法检测到其荧光。在这个探索性/开发性项目中，我们将实施新技术来解决这两个限制。该项目的具体目标是：1。通过实施一种新的光谱结构照明方法，扩展光谱域光学相干断层扫描（SDOCT）在视网膜和前节成像应用中的可用成像深度；2.应用分子对比光学相干断层扫描（MCOCT）的新概念，实现视网膜和脉络膜血管网络ICG浸润的实时三维成像；和3。通过工程和临床研究人员之间的密切合作，在活体患者中展示这两种新技术。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Since its introduction in the early 1990's, optical coherence tomography (OCT) has strongly impacted ophthalmic diagnostics through its ability to image retinal pathologies noninvasively with micron-scale resolution. Recent demonstrations of OCT imaging in the anterior segment indicate that this technology may also soon find routine applications in diagnosis of corneal pathologies, glaucoma, and in refractive surgery. 2 new optical technologies have recently been introduced which are poised to revolutionize ophthalmic OCT yet again, however each currently suffer from technical limitations which limit their potential applicability. The recent introduction of spectral domain OCT (SDOCT) for retinal imaging has dramatically altered the landscape by allowing for ~100x faster image acquisition rates than the conventional time-domain approach. Importantly, this advance allows for rapid accumulation of volumetric macular datasets, in which individual cross-sectional images are readily correlated with their exact macular position and pathologies may be characterized in 3 dimensions. However, current implementations of SDOCT suffer from fundamental technical limitations which limit the available imaging depth to ~2mm, with significant fall-off of image signal-to-noise ratio as a function of depth below ~1mm. Thus, this exciting new capability is not well suited for imaging vitreous abnormalities, deep retinal/choroidal pathologies, optic nerve head morphology, or any structures deeper than the cornea in the anterior segment. A second optical innovation which could dramatically impact ophthalmic diagnostics is the recent introduction of molecular contrast imaging in OCT. IGG angiography is a fundamental diagnostic technique in ophthalmology, but its fluorescence is not detectable in OCT because of the inherent insensitivity of OCT to incoherent scattering processes. In this exploratory/developmental project, we will implement new technology to address both of these limitations. The specific aims of the project are to: 1. Extend the available imaging depth of spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) for both retinal and anterior segment imaging applications by implementing a novel spectrally structured illumination approach; 2.Apply new concepts in molecular contrast optical coherence tomography (MCOCT) to allow for real-time, three-dimensional (3D)imaging of ICG infiltration of the retinal and choroidal vascular networks; and 3.Demonstrate both new techniques in living patients through close collaboration between engineering and clinical co-investigators.