![]() You then average those acquisitions to get better visualization,” Dr. “OCT devices can acquire line scans, which are multiple acquisitions at exactly the same area. The information presented can be qualitative, i.e., identifying retinal pathologies or quantitative, e.g., calculating retinal thickness. Nadia Waheed, MD, MPH, an associate professor at the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, says OCT provides incredibly dense information, with various forms of data output: linear (B) scans, through the area of interest/fovea and volumetric scans, obtained through raster or cross-scanning of the macula. If your inputs aren’t accurate, which are impacted by scan quality, then your outputs or treatment decisions may not be accurate either,” he advises. “As with any kind of imaging modality, it’s very important to consider scan quality as an integral component of your decision-making because what you see is what you get. Grewal doesn’t take any scan at face value. Keeping in mind how important OCT is, Dr. For retinal patients, it’s an integral and indispensable part of evaluation and decision-making,” he says. In fact, we can also consider it an ocular vital sign. “OCT is an essential component of our modern ocular exam. Photo: Dilraj Grewal, MD.ĭilraj Grewal, MD, an ophthalmologist and retinal surgeon at Duke Eye Health in North Carolina, agrees that OCT has transformed the field of ophthalmology. Fundus photograph (B) shows proliferative diabetic retinopathy with an old vitreous hemorrhage. OCT (A) shows artifactual hyperreflective streaks in the vitreous (white arrows) and poor image quality due to the shadowing caused by the vitreous hemorrhage in the right half of the image resulting in poor visualization of the retinal layers. Image artifact resulting in degraded OCT image due to vitreous hemorrhage in an eye with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. We spoke with retina specialists about how to spot artifacts and what steps to take to reduce them.įigure 1. ![]() These artifacts can influence how data are interpreted and possibly make your determinations inaccurate. However, OCT is not without its limitations, the most common of which are image artifacts. In its approximately three-decade existence, OCT has opened a window into the diagnosis and treatment of retinal and anterior segment diseases, and its continued evolution with the development of optical coherence tomographic angiography will likely only get better. Few ophthalmologists would argue its impact on the field. Some technologies can even fit into both of these camps. While many advancements have led to improved patient outcomes, there are also those that have introduced a new set of obstacles for physicians to overcome. ![]() T echnology can sometimes be a polarizing topic in health care. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |