Abstract
Purpose: :
The development of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) has enabled to obtain high-resolution macular and optic nerve head scans in patients with several diseases. However, little is known about the normal anatomy of the peripheral retina and its related pathological conditions. The purpose of this study was to compare OCT scans and histological sections of the peripheral retina in human donor eyes obtained for cornea transplantation.
Methods: :
For this study a high-resolution SOCT (Spectralis HRA+OCT, Heidelberg Engineering, Germany) was used. A focusing lens (focal length 25 mm) and a mirror were used to obtain a perpendicular incidence of the OCT beam relative to the specimen. The peripheral retinas of four donor eyes (age: 68±8 years) were dissected and prepared as whole mounts for SOCT volume scans exploration. After this, the same retinas including the subjacent choroids were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde in 0.1 M phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) for 48 h at 4°C. Following fixation, specimens were rinsed in buffer and dissected at the same positions used by examination with the OCT and embedded in paraffin according to standard methods. Finally, 10µm sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosine and examined and photographed using an Olympus BX51 microscope.
Results: :
The anatomy of the peripheral retina could be assessed by OCT technology on whole mount preparations of chorioretinal specimens of human donor eyes. Histological sections allowed exact correlation with OCT images. Peripheral retinal layers appeared much thinner than that of the posterior pole. Peripheral retinal degeneration and the presence of retinal holes with collateral retinal detachment could be also documented both in OCT scans and histological sections showing excellent morphological correlation.
Conclusions: :
Evaluation of the peripheral retina is a pivotal clinical technique in fundus diagnosis. As in the evaluation of the macula, examination of the peripheral retina using OCT technology could be an important imaging tool to reveal and document pathological conditions. Further development of this technique and transfer into clinical practice is planned.
Keywords: retina • imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound) • pathology: human