Automatic Segmentation of Subretinal Fluid in Patients With Choroidal Neovascularization Using Polarization-Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography

Abstract

Purpose: : Aim of this prospective follow-up survey was the automatic three-dimensional detection of subretinal fluid in patients with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) using polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT).

Methods: : Ten eyes of 10 patients with CNV revealing subretinal fluid at their baseline visit, being treated with an anti-VEGF agent over 6 months, were included. Three-dimensional automatic detection of subretinal fluid was performed by PS-OCT, applying a specifically developed software algorithm.

Results: : Three-dimensional analysis and automatic detection of subretinal fluid was carried out for the first time, using PS-OCT. This technique revealed a reduction in subretinal fluid volume after 1, 3 and 6 months, indicating therapeutic success when anti-VEGF is applied. These findings correspond to manual segmentation studies.

Conclusions: : PS-OCT has previously demonstrated to be capable of imaging the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and similar melanin-containing structures, based on their specific polarization properties. This study shows the potential of automatic three-dimensional segmentation in subretinal fluid detection by PS-OCT in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). These findings may be clinically relevant in terms of therapeutic follow-up analysis, as subretinal fluid characteristics were shown to be prognostically and functionally relevant parameters in patients with nAMD.

Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • imaging/image analysis: clinical • imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound)