Abstract
Doppler OCT provides depth-resolved information on flow in biological tissues. In this article, we demonstrate ultrahigh speed swept source/Fourier domain OCT for visualization and quantitative assessment of retinal blood flow. Using swept laser technology, the system operated in the 1050-nm wavelength range at a high axial scan rate of 200 kHz. The rapid imaging speed not only enables volumetric imaging with high axial scan densities, but also enables measurement of high flow velocities in the central retinal vessels. Deep penetration in the optic nerve and lamina cribrosa was achieved by imaging at 1-µm wavelengths. By analyzing en-face images extracted from 3D Doppler data sets, absolute flow in single vessels as well as total retinal blood flow was measured using a simple and robust protocol that does not require measurement of Doppler angles. The results from measurements in healthy eyes suggest that ultrahigh speed swept source/Fourier domain OCT could be a promising technique for volumetric imaging of retinal vasculature and quantitation of retinal blood flow in a wide range of retinal diseases.
Highlights
SPIE 7168, 71680A, 71680A-5 (2009). Serious ocular diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration are connected with abnormalities in retinal blood flow [1,2,3]
The Doppler effect has been exploited for various techniques such as ultrasound-based color Doppler imaging (CDI), laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) or Doppler optical coherence tomography (OCT)
Using CDI, it is possible to access information on pulsatile blood flow; since the vessel diameters cannot be quantified with this technique, total blood flow cannot be determined
Summary
Serious ocular diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration are connected with abnormalities in retinal blood flow [1,2,3]. There is great demand for methods to assess ocular blood flow in vivo. The Doppler effect has been exploited for various techniques such as ultrasound-based color Doppler imaging (CDI), laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) or Doppler optical coherence tomography (OCT). CDI combines B-mode images with velocity information obtained from the Doppler shift of the erythrocytes moving in the retrobulbar vessels [5]. Laser speckle techniques suffer from the same drawback They estimate flow velocity from the rate of variation of the speckle pattern. LDV is an approach to measure blood velocity in retinal arterioles and venules using the Doppler shift of light. Total blood flow in a single vessel can be calculated from an additional measurement of the retinal vessel diameter [6,7].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
