June 2013
Volume 54, Issue 15
Free
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   June 2013
A Comparison of Short-Wavelength (488nm) and Near-infrared (787nm) Autofluorescence in Stargardt’s Disease
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Winston Lee
    Ophthalmology, Columbia University, New York, NY
  • Tobias Duncker
    Ophthalmology, Columbia University, New York, NY
  • Francois Delori
    Ophthalmology, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Cambridge, MA
  • Rando Allikmets
    Ophthalmology, Columbia University, New York, NY
    Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY
  • Janet Sparrow
    Ophthalmology, Columbia University, New York, NY
    Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships Winston Lee, None; Tobias Duncker, None; Francois Delori, None; Rando Allikmets, None; Janet Sparrow, None
  • Footnotes
    Support None
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science June 2013, Vol.54, 3624. doi:
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      Winston Lee, Tobias Duncker, Francois Delori, Rando Allikmets, Janet Sparrow; A Comparison of Short-Wavelength (488nm) and Near-infrared (787nm) Autofluorescence in Stargardt’s Disease. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2013;54(15):3624.

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      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

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Abstract

Purpose: To compare short-wavelength autofluorescence (SW-AF) and near-infrared autofluorescence (NIR-AF) images in a cohort of patients with the clinical diagnosis of Stargardt’s disease (STGD1).

Methods: 22 patients with a mean age of 36 years (range: 9-78 years) were studied. Genotyping of the ABCA4 gene was performed in all patients using the ABCR 700 microarray and direct sequencing. SW-AF (488nm) and NIR-AF (787nm) images were acquired with the Spectralis HRA+OCT confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope (cSLO) and the HRA2 cSLO (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany), respectively. Images were registered with i2kRetina software (DualAlign LLC, Clifton Park, NY).

Results: Although the disease-related autofluorescence patterns observed in SW-AF and NIR-AF exhibited many similarities, several distinct differences were observed. Areas of central atrophy were marked by severely decreased/absent SW-AF and were in some cases circumscribed by a ring of high intensity SW-AF. Conversely, atrophic areas were larger in NIR-AF images and bright rings in SW-AF corresponded to areas of reduced AF in the NIR-AF image. Foveal sparing within an area of central atrophy is difficult to detect by SW-AF due to macular pigment absorbance; however by NIR-AF preserved fovea emits brightness. Flecks in SW-AF images were often bright and sometimes were surrounded by a dark halo; conversely, in NIR-AF images flecks were occasionally bright but most often were uniformly dark or dark with a bright center. In healthy eyes, fundus SW-AF images often exhibit, inferior to the optic disc, a near-vertical discontinuity in AF intensity, with lower AF on the nasal side. This demarcation line may indicate the location of the embryonic optic fissure (Duncker et al. IOVS 53:6682, 2012). In healthy eyes, this boundary is not visible in NIR-AF images; however it is detectable in NIR-AF images obtained from patients with ABCA4 mutations.

Conclusions: Melanin autofluorescence, captured through NIR-AF imaging of STGD1 patients, aids in the assessment of preserved retina and foveal sparing. NIR-AF may reveal disease progression in advance of SW-AF. The observation made concerning the NIR-AF signal at the optic fissure may indicate that the NIR-AF signal is modulated by the presence of lipofuscin. SW-AF and NIR-AF imaging each provide unique perspectives on fundus changes in STGD1 and can be used as complementary tools.

Keywords: 550 imaging/image analysis: clinical • 696 retinal degenerations: hereditary • 701 retinal pigment epithelium  
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