Vertical Scans Research Articles

Hyper-reflective foci changes in RRMS under natalizumab therapy.

Microglia (MG) is suggested to play an immunopathological role of in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Since hyper-reflective foci (HRF) might mark MG activation, in vivo analysis by Optic Coherence Tomography (OCT) in MS patients under disease modifying therapies may help to clarify MS immunopathology as well as drug's mechanism of intrathecal action. To analyze HRF in patients treated with Natalizumab (NTZ), a high efficacy therapy for MS. The effect of NTZ on the retina of 36 Relapsing-Remitting MS patients was investigated in a prospective, single-center study. OCT was performed immediately before the first infusion and then between infusion 3 and 4, infusion 6 and 7, infusion 11 and 13. Peripapillary and macular scans were acquired, evaluating peripapillary RNFL thickness, macular volumes (vertical scans), and HRF count (horizontal scan) in Ganglion Cell Layer (GCL), Inner Plexiform Layer (IPL) and Inner Nuclear Layer (INL). Clinical examination was performed every six months. HRF count significantly increased under NTZ therapy (p<0.001) in both GCL (18.85 ± 6.93 at baseline, 28.24 ± 9.55 after 12 months) and IPL (25.73 ± 7.03 at baseline, 33.21 ± 8.50 after 12 months) but remained stable in INL (33.65 ± 7.76 at baseline, 36.06 ± 6.86 after 12 months, p=0.87), while no relevant modification of pRNFL and macular volumes were observed during the study. EDSS remained stable and no clinical relapse was observed between month 6 and 12. In RRMS NTZ affects HRF count in GCL and IPL, but not in INL, suggesting that NTZ does not impact on some aspects of MS immunopathology.

Evaluation of the lamina cribrosa after topical latanoprost therapy in primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension

PurposeTo investigate that the changes of lamina cribrosa (LC) thickness and depth after latanoprost therapy in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and ocular hypertension (OHT) patients. MethodsIn this single-center prospective cross-sectional study, 35 eyes from 35 patients with POAG or OHT (study group) and 26 age- and gender- matched healthy individuals (control group) were included. All participants were examined by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) with enhanced depth imaging (EDI) mode for LC thickness and depth measurements at the first visit before latanoprost therapy and at visits after 1 (second visit) and 3 (third visit) months of latanoprost therapy. ResultsThe mean LC thickness in both horizontal and vertical scans of the study group were thinner than the control group (p < 0.001, for both). During latanoprost therapy in the study group, the LC thickness values in horizontal scans significantly differed over the three visits, gradually increased (p < 0.05). There was significantly decrease in LC depth in horizontal scans between the first and third visits, and the second and third visits (p = 0.003 and p = 0.008, respectively). The gradual decrease in LC depth in vertical scans was observed at all visits, but the statistically significant difference was between the first and third visits only (p = 0.048). ConclusionPOAG/OHT patients showed more LC thinning compared with healthy individuals. The significant increase in LC thickness and the significant decrease in LC depth were detected after IOP reduction therapy with latanoprost in ocular hypertensive/ glaucomatous eyes.

Changes in corneal epithelial irregularity following treatment with artificial tears.

Dry eye sufferers have a highly irregular corneal epithelial surface compared with those without dry eye. This study demonstrated that corneal epithelial thickness irregularity can be significantly reduced after as little as 48 hours following treatment with regular use of topical ocular lubricants. This study aimed to compare changes in corneal epithelial thickness irregularity factor (EIF) and ocular symptoms in a population with symptoms of dry eye before and up to 4 weeks after treatment with two commercially available lubricating eye drops versus saline. We conducted a prospective single-center, investigator-masked, randomized, parallel-group dispensing study. Participants with moderate to severe symptoms of dry eye (Ocular Surface Disease Index score >23 at baseline) were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive either 0.15% hyaluronic acid + hydroxypropyl guar, 0.2% hyaluronic acid, or saline (16 in each group). Corneal epithelial thickness measurements were obtained along vertical and horizontal CASIA SS-1000 Optical Coherence Tomography scans at baseline and after 48 hours, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks. The Ocular Surface Disease Index questionnaire was administered at baseline, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks. Forty-eight participants (male-to-female ratio, 17:31) completed the study. Horizontal EIF was significantly lower at all follow-up visits compared with baseline (p=0.001), but there were no significant differences between study eye drops (p=0.34). No significant difference in vertical EIF was observed over time (p=0.32) or between eye drops (p=0.08). Ocular symptoms significantly improved after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment compared with baseline (p<0.001), but no differences were observed between eye drops (p=0.46). All treatments were effective for reducing EIF along the horizontal meridian 48 hours after initiation of treatment, and improvements were maintained for 4 weeks. Improvements in ocular symptoms were observed with all study treatments.

Two-Dimensional Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry of N-Linked Glycopeptides.

Glycosylation is a common modification across living organisms and plays a central role in understanding biological systems and disease. Our ability to probe the gylcome has grown exponentially in the past several decades. However, further improvements to the analytical toolbox available to researchers would allow for increased capabilities to probe structure and function of biological systems and to improve disease treatment. This article applies the developing technique of two-dimensional Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry to a glycoproteomic workflow for the standard glycoproteins coral tree lectin (CTL) and bovine ribonuclease B (BRB) to demonstrate its feasibility as a tool for glycoproteomic workflows. 2D infrared multiphoton dissociation and electron capture dissociation spectra of CTL reveal comparable structural information to their 1D counterparts, confirming the site of glycosylation and monosaccharide composition of the glycan. Spectra collected in 2D of BRB reveal correlation lines of fragment ion scans and vertical precursor ion scans for data collected using infrared multiphoton dissociation and diagonal cleavage lines for data collected by electron capture dissociation. The use of similar techniques for glycoproteomic analysis may prove valuable in instances where chromatographic separation is undesirable or quadrupole isolation is insufficient.

Linearizing the vertical scale of an interferometric microscope and its effect on step-height measurement.

The vertical scale calibration of an interferometric microscope is important for establishing traceability of surface topography measurements to the International System of Units (SI) unit of length, the meter. Building on the calibration procedure for the amplification coefficient developed by de Groot and Beverage [Proc. SPIE 9526, 952610 (2015)], this paper describes a calibration procedure that yields the response curve for the entire vertical scan motion of a coherent scanning interferometric microscope. The method requires only a flat mirror as an artifact, a narrow band spectral filter, an aperture to reduce the effective numerical aperture, and the ability to raise and lower the microscope head so that the center of the interferogram can be varied within the scan range. The local frequency of the interferogram is determined by fitting sections of the interferogram to a sinusoidal function. The nonlinearity determined from the local frequency data can be used to estimate the uncertainty in uncorrected vertical height measurements. We describe how optical profile data can be corrected for nonlinearity due to dynamic effects in the scan motion and show that the correction improves the reproducibility of step height measurements by at least a factor of three and close to that of the repeatability.

Prognostic impact of hyperreflective foci in nonsyndromic retinitis pigmentosa

PurposeTo evaluate the prognostic impact of hyperreflective foci (HRF) on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in nonsyndromic retinitis pigmentosa (RP).MethodsRetrospective, single-center cohort study including genetically-tested RP patients with a minimum follow-up of 24 months. Clinical data including demographics, genetic results and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at baseline and follow-up were collected. Horizontal and vertical SD-OCT scans were analyzed by 2 independent graders. Outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness and ellipsoid zone (EZ) width were manually measured in horizontal and vertical scans. HRF were classified according to location: outer retinal layers within the central 3mm (central-HRF), outer retinal layers beyond the central 3mm (perifoveal-HRF), and choroid (choroidal-HRF). Central macular thickness (CMT), central point thickness (CPT) and choroidal thickness (CT) at baseline and follow-up were also recorded.ResultsA total of 175 eyes from 94 RP patients (47.9% female, mean age 50.7±15.5 years) were included, with a mean follow-up of 29.24±7.17 months. Mean ETDRS (early treatment diabetic retinopathy study) BCVA decreased from 61.09±23.54 to 56.09±26.65 (p=0.082). At baseline, 72 eyes (41.1%) showed central-HRF, 110 eyes (62.9%) had perifoveal-HRF and 149 eyes (85.1%) exhibited choroidal-HRF. Central-HRF and perifoveal-HRF were associated with worse final BCVA, as well as greater BCVA deterioration (all p<0.0029). Only central-HRF were associated with a worse final CMT (p<0.001). Shorter EZ widths were associated with all types of HRF (p<0.05). Perifoveal and choroidal-HRF predicted smaller final EZ areas (p<0.01).ConclusionHRF are highly prevalent in RP patients and appear to have a negative prognostic impact in visual function and EZ area.

Characterisation of plastic scintillator paddles and lightweight MWPCs for the MID subsystem of ALICE 3

The ALICE collaboration is proposing a completely new detector, ALICE 3, for operation during the LHC Runs 5 and 6. One of the ALICE 3 subsystems is the Muon IDentifier detector (MID), which has to be optimised to be efficient for the reconstruction of J/ψ at rest (muons down to p T ≈ 1.5 GeV/c) for |η| < 1.3. Given the modest particle flux expected in the MID of a few Hz/cm2, technologies like plastic scintillator bars (≈ 1 m length) equipped with wavelength-shifting fibers and silicon photomultiplier readout, and lightweight Multi-Wire Proportional Chambers (MWPCs) are under investigation. To this end, different plastic scintillator paddles and MWPCs were studied at the CERN T10 test beam facility. This paper reports on the performance of the scintillator prototypes tested at different beam momenta (from 0.5 GeV/c up to 6 GeV/c) and positions (horizontal, vertical, and angular scans). The MWPCs were tested at different momenta (from 0.5 GeV/c to 10 GeV/c) and beam intensities, their efficiency and position resolutions were verified beyond the particle rates expected with the MID in ALICE 3.

Study and development of diagnostic systems to characterise the extraction region in SPIDER

SPIDER, an RF-driven negative ion source in the Neutral Beam Test Facility (NBTF), serves as the prototype for ITER's neutral beam injector (NBI). It is composed of 8 drivers powered by 4 RF generators, aiming to accelerate 50 A of negative hydrogen ions to 100 KeV with a beam uniformity target of 10%. The experiment, launched in 2018, tested negative ion production using caesium. Results match those of similar facilities, but SPIDER faces challenges due to its size, multiple drivers, and non-uniform plasma expansion. These issues impact beam uniformity, preventing the machine from reaching expected performance. To address this, SPIDER initiated a significant shutdown at the end of 2021 for improvements.One the most important aspects studied during the first experimental campaign is source uniformity, addressed both in terms of plasma and of caesium distribution. The latter is particularly relevant since its quality is directly related to the beam uniformity and divergence. To have more insight about these issues, monitoring the plasma properties in the extraction region is crucial, hence in the present contribution, the design and development of two new diagnostic systems are described: a movable Langmuir probe and a Retarding Field Energy Analyser (RFEA).The first can provide a vertical scan of the main plasma parameters close to the plasma grid. The spatial resolution would improve with respect to the already installed set of fixed Langmuir probes embedded in the grid system, and the newly installed diagnostic could interact with other sensors to produce complementary measurements (namely, electron photo-detachment).The latter, instead, allows the monitoring of the positive ion energy distribution: positive ions, in fact, can be precursors of the negative ones produced at the caesiated surface, but also influence the energy of negative ion and their extraction probability and thus collecting information about their energy distribution allows inferring details about the extracted negative ion beam.The two diagnostics are designed focusing on the experimental constraint of integrating the diagnostics in a harsh and complex environment such as SPIDER plasma: a preliminary study of the placement inside the source is carried out, then the electrode of the movable probe and the RFEA sensor are sized according to the spatial and energy resolution requested by the system.

Dual lignin-derived polymeric system for peptone removal from simulated wastewater

The long-term existence of peptone can breed a large number of bacteria and cause the eutrophication of municipal wastewater. Thus, removing peptone in the wastewater is a major challenge facing the current industry. This study used cationic and anionic lignin polymers, i.e., kraft lignin-[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] trimethylammonium methyl sulfate (cationic lignin polymer, CLP) and kraft lignin-acrylic acid (anionic lignin polymer, ALP), as flocculants to eliminate peptone from model wastewater in the single and dual component systems. The affinity of peptone for ALP or CLP was assessed by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, contact angle, and vertical scan analyzer. Results illustrated that the adsorption effect of CLP for peptone was significantly superior to that of ALP owing to the stronger vital interaction between cationic polymer and peptone molecules. Based on destabilization and sedimentation analyses, introducing CLP triggered the preliminary flocculation of peptone via bridging action, as indicated by a considerable increment in the destabilization index (from 1.1 to 10.6). Moreover, peptone adsorbed more on the CLP coated surface than on the ALP coated one (14.8 vs 5.4 mg/m2), while ALP facilitated its further adsorption in the dual polymer system. This is because CLP adsorbed a part of peptone molecules on its surface. Then, ALP entrapped the unattached peptone onto the CLP coated surface through electrostatic interaction. Compared with the single polymer system, mixing ALP and CLP subsequently into the peptone solution in the dual system generated larger size aggregates (mean diameter of 6.1 μm) and made the system destabilization (Turbiscan stability index up to 58.1), thereby yielding more flocculation and sedimentation. Finally, peptone was removed successfully from simulated wastewater with a turbidity removal efficiency of 92.5%. These findings confirmed that the dual-component system containing two lignin-derived polymers with opposite charges could be viable for treating peptone wastewater.

Serous Maculopathy Due to Aspecific Choroidopathy (SMACH).

Serous Maculopathy Due to Aspecific Choroidopathy (SMACH).

Analysis of deep optic nerve head structures with spectral domain and swept-source optical coherence tomography

PurposeHistological evidence indicates that the earliest structural changes to the optic nerve head (ONH) in glaucoma occur in the lamina cribrosa (LC) and its interface with the sclera. However, clinical...

Optical Coherence Tomography-Derived Measurements of the Optic Nerve Head Structure of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children.

This study demonstrated significant differences in optic nerve head characteristics in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children compared with non-Indigenous children, which has implications for glaucoma risk and diagnosis in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. The purpose of this study was to examine the optic nerve head (ONH) characteristics of visually normal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and non-Indigenous Australian children. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography imaging was performed on the right eye of 95 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and 149 non-Indigenous Australian children (5-18 years). Horizontal and vertical line scans, centered on the ONH, were analyzed to determine the dimensions of the ONH (Bruch membrane opening diameter), optic cup diameter, Bruch membrane opening minimum rim width, and the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness. The vertical but not horizontal Bruch membrane opening diameter of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children was significantly larger than non-Indigenous children (mean difference: 0.09mm, P = 0.001). The horizontal (mean difference: 0.12mm, P = 0.003) and vertical cup diameter (mean difference: 0.16mm, P < 0.001) were also significantly larger in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, as were the horizontal and vertical cup-to-disc ratios (both P < 0.01). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children also had a significantly thinner Bruch membrane opening minimum rim width in the superior, nasal, and temporal meridians (all P < 0.001). Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness did not differ between groups. Differences exist in the ONH structure between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and non-Indigenous children, which may have implications for the detection and monitoring of ocular disease in this population and highlights the need to extend this research to the adult population.

Widefield wavefront sensor for multidirectional peripheral retinal scanning.

The quantitative evaluation of peripheral ocular optics is essential in both myopia research and the investigation of visual performance in people with normal and compromised central vision. We have developed a widefield scanning wavefront sensor (WSWS) capable of multidirectional scanning while maintaining natural central fixation at the primary gaze. This Shack-Hartmann-based WSWS scans along any retinal meridian by using a unique scanning method that involves the concurrent operation of a motorized rotary stage (horizontal scan) and a goniometer (vertical scan). To showcase the capability of the WSWS, we tested scanning along four meridians including a 60° horizontal, 36° vertical, and two 36° diagonal scans, each completed within a time frame of 5 seconds.

Effects of head-down tilt on optic nerve sheath diameter in healthy subjects.

Intracranial pressure increases in head-down tilt (HDT) body posture. This study evaluated the effect of HDT on the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) in normal subjects. Twenty six healthy adults (age 28 [4.7] years) participated in seated and 6° HDT visits. For each visit, subjects presented at 11:00 h for baseline seated scans and then maintained a seated or 6° HDT posture from 12:00 to 15:00 h. Three horizontal axial and three vertical axial scans were obtained at 11:00, 12:00 and 15:00 h with a 10 MHz ultrasonography probe on the same eye, randomly chosen per subject. At each time point, horizontal and vertical ONSD (mm) were quantified by averaging three measures taken 3 mm behind the globe. In the seated visit, ONSDs were similar across time (p > 0.05), with an overall mean (standard deviation) of 4.71 (0.48) horizontally and 5.08 (0.44) vertically. ONSD was larger vertically than horizontally at each time point (p < 0.001). In the HDT visit, ONSD was significantly enlarged from baseline at 12:00 and 15:00 h (p < 0.001 horizontal and p < 0.05 vertical). Mean (standard error) horizontal ONSD change from baseline was 0.37 (0.07) HDT versus 0.10 (0.05) seated at 12:00 h (p = 0.002) and 0.41 (0.09) HDT versus 0.12 (0.06) seated at 15:00 h (p = 0.002); mean vertical ONSD change was 0.14 (0.07) HDT versus -0.07 (0.04) seated at 12:00 h (p = 0.02) and 0.19 (0.06) HDT versus -0.03 (0.04) seated at 15:00 h (p = 0.01). ONSD change in HDT was similar between 12:00 and 15:00 h (p ≥ 0.30). Changes at 12:00 h correlated with those at 15:00 h for horizontal (r = 0.78, p < 0.001) and vertical ONSD (r = 0.73, p < 0.001). The ONSD increased when body posture transitioned from seated to HDT position without any further change at the end of the 3 h in HDT.

Development of a deep learning system to detect glaucoma using macular vertical optical coherence tomography scans of myopic eyes

Myopia is one of the risk factors for glaucoma, making accurate diagnosis of glaucoma in myopic eyes particularly important. However, diagnosis of glaucoma in myopic eyes is challenging due to the frequent associations of distorted optic disc and distorted parapapillary and macular structures. Macular vertical scan has been suggested as a useful tool to detect glaucomatous retinal nerve fiber layer loss even in highly myopic eyes. The present study was performed to develop and validate a deep learning (DL) system to detect glaucoma in myopic eyes using macular vertical optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans and compare its diagnostic power with that of circumpapillary OCT scans. The study included a training set of 1416 eyes, a validation set of 471 eyes, a test set of 471 eyes, and an external test set of 249 eyes. The ability to diagnose glaucoma in eyes with large myopic parapapillary atrophy was greater with the vertical than the circumpapillary OCT scans, with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of 0.976 and 0.914, respectively. These findings suggest that DL artificial intelligence based on macular vertical scans may be a promising tool for diagnosis of glaucoma in myopic eyes.

An AI model to estimate visual acuity based solely on cross-sectional OCT imaging of various diseases.

To develop an artificial intelligence (AI) model for estimating best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) using horizontal and vertical optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans of various retinal diseases and examine factors associated with its accuracy. OCT images and associated BCVA measurements from 2,700 OCT images (accrued from 2004 to 2018 with an Atlantis, Triton; Topcon, Tokyo, Japan) of 756 eyes of 469 patients and their BCVA were retrospectively analysed. For each eye, one horizontal and one vertical OCT scan in cross-line mode were used. The GoogLeNet architecture was implemented. The coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) were computed to evaluate the performance of the trained network. R2, RMSE, and MAE were 0.512, 0.350, and 0.321, respectively. R2 was higher in phakic eyes than in pseudophakic eyes. Multivariable regression analysis showed that a higher R2 was significantly associated with better BCVA (p < 0.001) and a higher standard deviation of BCVA (p < 0.001). However, the performance was worse in an external validation, with R2 of 0.19. R2 values for retinal vein occlusion and age-related macular degeneration were 0.961 and 0.373 in the internal validation but 0.20 and 0.22 in the external validation. Although underspecification appears to be a fundamental problem to be addressed in AI models for predicting visual acuity, the present results suggest that AI models might have potential for estimating BCVA from OCT in AMD and RVO. Further research is needed to improve the utility of BCVA estimation for these diseases.

Evaluation of the lamina cribrosa in different stages of diabetic retinopathy.

To evaluate the relationship of the peripapillary retina nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and lamina cribrosa (LC) with diabetic retinopathy (DR) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) cases. Prospective comparative study. This study included 50 non-DR (Group 1), 55 non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) (Group 2), 28 DM cases with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) (Group 3) and 45 healthy volunteers (Group 4). All participants were evaluated with visual acuity, intraocular pressure (IOP) with Goldman applanation tonometry, anterior segment biomicroscopy, 24 - 2 visual field testing, and dilated fundus examination. Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, lamina cribrosa thickness (LCT) and anterior lamina cribrosa depth (ALCD) were examined by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). There was no difference between the groups in terms of age and gender. Visual acuity (p < 0.001) was significantly different between the groups, while IOP (p = 0.068) was similar. Mean (p = 0.010), superior-temporal (p = 0.024), and superior-nasal (p = 0.011) RNFL thickness decreased significantly in correlation with the stage of DR. LCT decreased significantly as the stage of DR progressed in both vertical and horizontal radial OCT scans (p < 0.001). ALCD was not different between groups (p = 0.954 for horizontal scan, p = 0.867 for vertical scan). Peripapillary RNFL and LCT significantly decreases as the DR stage progresses. The biomechanical effects of the LC may also be responsible for diabetes-induced neurodegeneration.

275–305 GHz FM-CW Radar 3D Imaging for Walk-Through Security Body Scanner

Imaging using millimeter waves (MMW) and terahertz (THz) waves can help inspect hazardous materials hidden beneath clothing in a non-contact and non-invasive manner. A 3D terahertz imaging system for security gate applications in the 275–305 GHz range was developed and experimentally demonstrated to detect concealed objects carried by pedestrians. This system performs 3D measurements by combining depth detection using frequency-modulated continuous wave (FM-CW) radar, vertical scanning of the detection spot using a 1D high-speed mechanical beam scanner, and horizontal movement of the irradiated area and detection spot as the pedestrian walks. The high-speed beam scanner comprises an F-Theta telecentric lens and a polygon mirror. It has a vertical line scan rate of 142 lines/s and spatial resolution of ~10 mm, consistent with the design value, and a depth resolution of ~7 mm, which is 40% larger than the theoretical value estimated from the FM-CW radar principle. The depth-dependent lateral distortion in 3D images, known as telecentricity, measured using the body scanner imaging system, was also evaluated. Consequently, images with the same magnification were obtained at a range of more than 500 mm of focus depth. Finally, the detection of concealed objects carried by pedestrians was demonstrated, showing that the system can work for a pedestrian walking at speeds from 4 km/h to 7 km/h.

Objective Classification of Glistening in Implanted Intraocular Lenses Using Optical Coherence Tomography: Proposal for a New Classification and Grading System

To propose a classification of the glistening in intraocular lenses (IOL) using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) by means of a simple, objective and reproducible method that allows the quantification of the presence and severity of glistening. A cross-sectional study on a sample of 150 eyes of 150 patients who underwent cataract surgery in at least 600 days before the exam and attended a routine examination. Each subject was examined by SS-OCT after pupil dilation, identifying the presence of glistening or hyperreflective foci (HRF) in the central area of the IOL. The degree of glistening was classified into four categories: 0: ≤5 HRF; 1: 6 to 15 HRF; 2: 16 to 30 HRF; and 3: >30 HRF. The intra and interobserver reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC) in the quantification and classification of the glistening were calculated. The correlation between the horizontal and vertical scan of the IOL was also assessed. Glistening was present in the IOL in 42.7% of the patients. The mean number of HRF or glistening microvacuoles was 10.4 ± 26.2 (range 0 to 239). In total, 63.3% of the IOLs had a grade 0, 20% grade a 1, 6.7% grade a 2 and 10% a grade 3. The intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility were very high, both for the absolute quantification of the glistening (ICC ≥ 0.994) and for the severity scale (ICC ≥ 0.967). There was an excellent correlation in the quantification of the IOL glistening between the horizontal and vertical scans (R ≥ 0.834; p < 0.001). The use of SS-OCT makes it possible to identify, quantify and classify IOL glistening in a simple, objective and reproducible way. This technique could provide relevant information for the study of the glistening on IOLs.

Ocular Ultrasonography in Healthy Calves with Different Transducers.

Ocular ultrasonography is seldom performed in cattle. Here, we compared three ultrasound probes (linear, convex, transrectal gynecological) for the measurement of eight eye biometry parameters on vertical and horizontal scans. The sample population was 20 healthy calves (n = 10 Holstein, n = 10 Piedmontese breed). Intragroup (same probe for vertical vs. horizontal scanning) and intergroup (different probes measuring the same biometric parameter) comparisons were performed using Student's t-test and the Mann-Whitney U test. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Intragroup comparison revealed few significant differences. Ultrasound examination with the convex transducer detected more differences than either of the two other probes on vertical (linear six out of eight; transrectal gynecological four out of eight) and horizontal (linear six out of eight; transrectal gynecological six out of eight) scans. Similar results were obtained for both breeds. More non-valuable parameters on the horizontal (77 out of 320, 24%) and the vertical (85 out of 320, 26%) (p ≤ 0.001) scans were obtained with the convex transducer. Both linear transducers were found comparable for ocular ultrasonography in field conditions. However, given its widespread application in the field, the transrectal gynecological transducer may offer veterinarians the added advantage of familiarity and ease-of-use without any additional costs.