Posterior Iris Imaging Using Anterior Segment OCT and UBM

Abstract

Purpose:: To compare the use of anterior segment OCT and UBM for imaging post-surgigal trauma to the posterior surface of the iris.

Methods:: A retrospective analysis was made of patients who underwent cataract surgery with PCIOL insertion and who developed unexplained hyphema postoperatively. Anterior segment evaluation was performed sequentially using anterior segment OCT (AC Cornea OCT prototype, Ophthalmic Technologies Inc. [OTI], Canada) and UBM (OTI Scan 35-50MHz Ultrasound System, OTI, Canada). Similar views were obtained, and images compared.

Results:: Two eyes were included in the study. Both OCT and UBM revealed tears of the posterior pigmented epithelium of the iris implicating trauma to deep iris vessels as a possible etiology of the hyphema. However, cross-sectional OCT depicted the injury in greater detail than UBM. Additionally, coronal OCT images uniquely generated by the AC Cornea OCT graphically demonstrated the extent of denudation not usually obtainable with regular cross-sectional OCT.

Conclusions:: Imaging of the posterior surface of the iris can be accomplished with both UBM and anterior segment OCT. In this small cohort of patients these imaging modalities helped elucidate the potential etiology of a postoperative hyphema. More details of the posterior surface of the iris were revealed with anterior segment OCT than with UBM, and the OCT was able to accomplish this without contact to the eye. The AC Cornea OCT was also uniquely capable of capturing coronal images that provided more clinically useful information than standard saggital OCT images.

Keywords: imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound) • iris • imaging/image analysis: clinical