Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy (SLO)

Since the first scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) was introduced in the early 1980s, this imaging technique has been adapted and optimized for various clinical applications based on different contrast mechanism. Reflectance imaging, where the back scattered light is detected, is widely used for eye tracking and as reference image for OCT applications. But also the reflectance modality itself has several important diagnostic applications: laser scanning tomography (SLT), imaging with different laser wavelengths (Multicolor contrast) and others. Fluorescence imaging channels with different excitation wavelengths were introduced to SLOs for angiography, i.e. for the visualization of the vascular system after intravenously injecting an appropriate dye, as well as for autofluorescence imaging of endogenous fluorophores within the retina

The Heidelberg Retina Tomograph in the diagnosis of glaucoma

Abstract Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases characterized by a chronic, progressive optic neuropathy. During the disease process, the axon damage of the retinal ganglion cells leads to changes in the retinal nerve fiber layer, causing optic nerve head, and visual field defects typical of glaucoma. The Heidelberg Retina Tomograph (HRT) is a confocal scanning laser imaging device acquiring and analysing three-dimensional data of the ocular fundus wit good accuracy and reproducibility. Conventional planimetric measurements were compared to those taken with the HRT in a pilot study of 12 eyes with early glaucomatous optic disc, retinal nerve fiber layer and/or visual field abnormalities. The neuroretinal rim area measurements and cup-to-disc area ratio did not differ statistically from each other when using these two different methods. The effect of four different reference levels on the HRT parameter measurement values was tested in two separate studies. In the first study there were 67 eyes, 40 of the eyes were healthy and 27 eyes had glaucoma of different stages. Then, 279 eyes, 180 of which were non-glaucomatous and 99 glaucoma eyes, were included in another study. The flexible reference level gave the most reliable HRT parameter measurement values in both non-glaucomatous and glaucomatous eyes. The ability of the HRT parameters to separate between non-glaucomatous and glaucomatous eyes was tested in 77 eyes, 40 of the eyes were non-glaucomatous, 10 ocular hypertensives and 27 eyes had different stages of glaucoma. The reference level dependent HRT parameters cup-to-disc area ratio, vertical linear cup-to-disc ratio, mean retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLt) and rim volume as well as the reference level non-dependent HRT parameter, cup shape measure (CSM), separated best between the clinical groups. The best combination of the HRT and other structural and functional parameters in separating between non-glaucomatous and glaucomatous eyes was studied in 55 eyes. There were 32 non-glaucomatous eyes and 23 eyes with ocular hypertension or glaucoma. CSM, RNFLt, together with age- and lens coloration-corrected mean deviation of the B/Y perimetry showed good discrimination (ROC area 0.91) between non-glaucomatous and glaucomatous eyes.Tiivistelmä Glaukooma koostuu joukosta hitaasti eteneviä näköhermon rappeumasairauksia. Sairausprosessin aikana verkkokalvon gangliosolujen aksonivaurio johtaa muutoksiin verkkokalvon hermosäiekerroksessa ja näköhermon päässä aiheuttaen glaukoomalle tyypillisiä näkökenttämuutoksia. The Heidelberg Retina Tomograph (HRT) on konfokaali laserskanneritekniikkaan perustuva kuvantamislaite, joka tuottaa ja analysoi silmänpohjasta saatua kolmiulotteista mittaustietoa tarkasti ja toistettavasti. Tavanomaisen planimetrian antamia mittaustuloksia verrattiin HRT:n antamiin tuloksiin 12:ssa silmässä, joissa oli todettu varhaisia glaukoomamuutoksia. Näköhermon pään hermoreunan (rim) pinta-ala ja keskuskuopan suhde papillan läpimittaan eivät poikenneet tilastollisesti toisistaan näitä kahta menetelmää käytettäessä. Neljän eri referenssitason vaikutusta HRT-parametrien mittausarvoihin testattiin kahdessa eri tutkimuksessa. Ensimmäisen tutkimusaineisto koostui yhteensä 67:stä silmästä, joista 40 oli terveitä ja 27:ssä eriasteisia glaukoomamuutoksia. Toisessa tutkimuksessa oli yhteensä 279 silmää, joista 180 oli terveitä ja 99:llä oli glaukooma. Papillomakulaarisäikeisiin tukeutuva, fleksiibeli referenssitaso antoi luotettavimmat HRT-parametrien mittaustulokset sekä terveissä että glaukoomasilmissä. HRT-parametrien kykyä erottaa terveet silmät glaukomatoottisista testattiin yhteensä 77:ssä silmässä, joista 40 oli terveitä, 10 oli korkeapaineisia ilman glaukoomamuutoksia, ja 27:ssä oli glaukoomamuutoksia. Referenssitasosta riippuvaiset HRT-parametrit, keskuskuopan suhde papillan läpimittaan, vertikaali-lineaarinen keskuskuopan suhde papillan läpimittaan, keskimääräinen verkkokalvon hermosäiekerroksen paksuus (RNFLt) ja `rim´:in tilavuus samoin kuin referenssitasosta riippumaton keskuskuopan ´vinous´-mitta (CSM) erottelivat parhaiten nämä kliiniset ryhmät toisistaan. Terveitä ja glaukoomasilmiä erottelevaa HRT:n ja muiden rakenteellisten ja toiminnallisten parametrien kombinaatiota etsittiin 55:n silmän aineistosta. Silmistä 32 oli terveitä ja 23 korkeapaineisia ja/tai glaukoomavaurioisia. CSM ja RNFLt, yhdessä iän ja mykiövärjäytymisen suhteen korjatun sinikeltaperimetrian keskipoikkeaman kanssa osoittivat hyvää erottelukykyä (ROC area 0.91) terveiden ja glaukoomasilmien välillä

Morphometric assessment of normal, suspect and glaucomatous optic discs with Stratus OCT and HRT II

AIMS: To compare morphometric parameters and diagnostic performance of the new Stratus Optical Coherence Tomograph (OCT) Disc mode and the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph (HRT); to evaluate OCT's accuracy in determining optic nerve head (ONH) borders. METHODS: Controls and patients with ocular hypertension, glaucoma-like discs, and glaucoma were imaged with OCT Disc mode, HRT II, and colour disc photography (DISC-PHOT). In a separate session, automatically depicted ONH shape and size in OCT were compared with DISC-PHOT, and disc borders adjusted manually where required. In a masked fashion, all print-outs and photographs were studied and discs classified as normal, borderline, and abnormal. The Cohen kappa method was then applied to test for agreement of classification. Bland-Altman analysis was used for comparison of disc measures. RESULTS: In all, 49 eyes were evaluated. Automated disc margin recognition failed in 53%. Misplaced margin points were more frequently found in myopic eyes, but only 31/187 were located in an area of peripapillary atrophy. Agreement of OCT with photography-based diagnosis was excellent in normally looking ONHs, but moderate in discs with large cups, where HRT performed better. OCT values were consistently larger than HRT values for disc and cup area. Compared with HRT, small rim areas and volumes tended to be minimized by OCT, and larger ones to be magnified. CONCLUSIONS: Stratus OCT Disc protocol performed overall well in differentiating between normal and glaucomatous ONHs. However, failure of disc border recognition was frequently observed, making manual correction necessary. ONH measures cannot be directly compared between HRT and OCT