Quantitative Multifunctional OCT imaging of nonpathologic optic nerve head

Abstract

Purpose : In order to investigate the tissue property of optic nerve head (ONH), quantitative optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging was performed with 1-μm Jones-matrix multifunctional OCT (JM-OCT). This study aims at evaluating clinical utility of quantitative JM-OCT imaging, based on a descriptive normal ONH cases.

Methods : Five eyes of non-pathologic cases were imaged with quantitative JM-OCT. 3 mm × 3 mm areas around ONH were scanned with 512 × 1024 A-lines in 6.6 seconds. Intensity OCT, OCT signal attenuation coefficient (AC), complex correlation based OCT-angiography (OCA), local birefringence (LB) tomography, and degree-of-polarization-uniformity (DOPU) tomography were obtained from a volumetric scan. Each tomography represents the structure, combined coefficient of tissue scattering and absorption, vasculature, micro-structural property of tissue, and melanin, respectively. Contrast and properties of tissues in ONH are descriptively discussed.

Results : Fig. 1 shows an example of ONH with JM-OCT from high myopia. OCT projection (b) shows myopic conus. The conventional OCT intensity (a) shows moderate different intensity between prelamina (PL) and lamina cribrosa (LC) region. In contrast, the AC and LB images showed better discrimination of PL and LC. The log-scaled AC (d), LB (e), and correlation map (f) images shows high signal in LC relative to PL. The AC and LB images are less affected by upper tissue as shown in dashed loops region in (d,e). The DOPU (g) images show low value at the posterior of LC and peripapillary choroidal and scleral regions. Fig.1(h–m) show the en face slices of the AC (h, k), LB (i, l), and OCA (j, m) signals at the PL (h–j), and LC (k–m) regions. The difference between PL and LC is more clearly shown in the en face slice image as indicated with ellipses in (h–m). These observation was seen from all of five eyes.
The OCA projection (c) shows a portion of Zinn-Haller arterial circle (ZHAC, indicated with arrowhead) in the myopic conus. The ZHAC portion observed from two high myopic eyes (diopter: -8.50, -10.25).

Conclusions : The quantitative JM-OCT imaging gave clear discrimination of PL and LC with quantified values corresponding each tissue properties. The quantitative JM-OCT would enable quantitative assessment of in vivo ONH.

This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.