Segmentation and quantification of retinal lesions in age-related macular degeneration using polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

Abstract

Abstract. We present polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) for quantitative assessment of retinal pathologies in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). On the basis of the polarization scrambling characteristics of the retinal pigment epithelium, novel segmentation algorithms were developed that allow one to segment pathologic features such as drusen and atrophic zones in dry AMD as well as to determine their dimensions. Results from measurements in the eyes of AMD patients prove the ability of PS-OCT for quantitative imaging based on the retinal features polarizing properties. Repeatability measurements were performed in retinas diagnosed with drusen and geographic atrophy in order to evaluate the performance of the described methods. PS-OCT appears as a promising imaging modality for three-dimensional retinal imaging and ranging with additional contrast based on the structures' tissue-inherent polarization properties. C 2010 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

Polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography – a review [Invited]

“…Figure 16(a) is an en-face intensity (reflectivity) projection image of a 3D PS-OCT data set acquired in the macula of a patient with drusen. Figure 16(b)1,2 are two reflectivity B-scans where three segmentation lines are drawn [117]. The inner limiting membrane (blue) is obtained by intensity thresholding, the RPE (red) is assumed to coincide with the lowest DOPU value within the depolarizing band in the corresponding DOPU image (not shown here), the green line indicates the position where the RPE should be (found by an iterative algorithm that uses the red line as a backbone).…”

“…section 4), it can directly be segmented by PS-OCT by thresholding retinal DOPU images [20]. In further data processing steps, the area and volume of drusen can be automatically determined [117]. Figure 16 shows an example of drusen segmentation based on PS-OCT imaging.…”

Identifying the Boundaries of Retinal Pigment Epithelial Detachments Using Two Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Instruments

“…A change in the retinal thickness measurement along with qualitative assessment of the B-scans is often used to determine re-treatment in eyes undergoing anti-VEGF therapy, and vascularized PEDs are often a component of the neovascular lesions. [19][20][21][22] Due to the importance of retinal thickness measurements in the presence of PEDs when re-treating patients with anti-VEGF therapy and when recruiting patients with neovascular AMD into clinical studies, we evaluated the segmentation performance of two SD-OCT instruments, the Cirrus SD-OCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA) and the Spectralis OCT (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) in patients with PEDs.…”

Optical coherence tomography—current technology and applications in clinical and biomedical research

“…Detecting changes caused by early stage glaucoma can improve the diagnostic accuracy. PS-OCT is also useful for a more precise delineation of different retinal layers based on their polarization properties [71,163]. For instance, the retinal pigment epithelium can be identified by its depolarizing nature, which may prove helpful for the detection and monitoring of diseases affecting this layer [164].…”