Purpose:
To report the confocal blue reflectance imaging as a novel noninvasive imaging modality for plotting of retinal non-perfusion area and to compare the effectiveness of blue reflectance imaging with fluorescein angiography in diabetic retinopathy and branch retinal vein occlusion..
Methods:
In this prospective observational cross-sectional study, 50 patients (74 eyes) with diabetic retinopathy (45 eyes) and branch retinal vein occlusion with maculopathy (29 eyes) were enrolled. Patients underwent blue reflectance fundus imaging and fundus fluorescein angiography (FA) using a confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope (F-10; Nidek, Gamagori, Japan). For all patients, the macular and peripheral non-perfusion area identified and delineated in a blue reflectance image and a corresponding FA image. The concordance of delineated non-perfusion area in blue image to the delineated non-perfusion area in a corresponding fluorescein angiographic image was evaluated using image comparison software.
Results:
The linear regression analysis showed correlation in mean size of retinal non-perfusion area between angiography and blue reflectance image in diabetic retinopathy and branch vein occlusion group, respectively. The reliable agreement between the size and shape of the delineated retinal non-perfusion areas in blue reflectance image and FA image was found. In branch retinal vein occlusion group, the agreement between blue reflectance and FA images was relatively higher than in diabetic retinopathy group.
Conclusions:
Our finding has never previously been reported in the medical literature. Confocal blue reflectance imaging is simple, noninvasive and can be a novel method for plotting the retinal non-perfusion area effectively. It has the potential to be used for noninvasively detecting and quantifying retinal non-perfusion area in screening, initial evaluation, treatment decision and follow up of progressing ischemic retinopathy such as diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein occlusion.
Keywords: imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound) • diabetic retinopathy