Possibilities of multicolor confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy in complex diagnostics of severe proliferative diabetic retinopathy

Abstract

To evaluate the informative value of multicolor SLO in a complex examination of patients with severe proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). A total of 46 patients (62 eyes) aged 19 to 75 years with severe PDR was examined. All patients had massive growth of proliferative tissue on the eye fundus, which caused traction deformation and/or retinal detachment in the posterior pole. Optical mediums of the eyes were sufficiently transparent to obtain high quality images. All patients underwent color photo-registration of the fundus, fluorescein angiography (FA), optical coherence tomography (OCT) and multicolor SLO under drug-induced mydriasis. Pseudo-volumetric images obtained with multicolor SLO allow visualization of of preretinal proliferative membranes and their structure, the degree of their vascularization, the anatomical features of their attachment to retina, and the occluded vessels on fundus periphery. Being an additional option on scanning laser ophthalmoscope, the technique does not require special equipment, which enables several separate examinations, including OCT and FA, to be performed on a single device. Multicolor SLO is a promising new method of visualizing structures of the eye fundus and can be successfully used in complex diagnostics, monitoring and preoperative preparation of patients with severe PDR.