Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA): A review of the current literature

Abstract

OCTA is an imaging modality used in the assessment of the retinal vasculature. It operates on the principle of coherence tomography used in standard OCT with the addition of delineating the retinal vascular. This provides a modern non-invasive retinal vascular imaging method compared to conventional dye-based imaging. High quality depth resolution of the superficial and deep capillary networks is possible on OCTA whereas this was not possible prior. OCTA may be limited by image quality degradation from factors such as motion artefact or media opacities, and therefore may not be the investigation of choice for all patient groups. There are multiple potential clinical applications for OCTA in retinal and choroidal vascular disease. Ongoing research is necessary to substantiate the more widespread use of OCTA due to its significant cost burden compared to current modalities.

Retinal small vessel pathology is associated with disease burden in multiple sclerosis

“…After removing stationary tissue signals, the residual signal represents moving erythrocytes in veins and arteries down to the capillary level. 8 OCTA has been increasingly employed for diagnosing and managing ophthalmologic conditions, such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. In neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, reduced vessel densities seem to correlate with disease severity.…”