Automated retinal layer segmentation and pre-apoptotic monitoring for three-dimensional optical coherence tomography

The aim of this PhD thesis was to develop segmentation algorithm adapted and optimized to retinal OCT data that will provide objective 3D layer thickness which might be used to improve diagnosis and monitoring of retinal pathologies. Additionally, a 3D stack registration method was produced by modifying an existing algorithm. A related project was to develop a pre-apoptotic retinal monitoring based on the changes in texture parameters of the OCT scans in order to enable treatment before the changes become irreversible; apoptosis refers to the programmed cell death that can occur in retinal tissue and lead to blindness. These issues can be critical for the examination of tissues within the central nervous system. A novel statistical model for segmentation has been created and successfully applied to a large data set. A broad range of future research possibilities into advanced pathologies has been created by the results obtained. A separate model has been created for choroid segmentation located deep in retina, as the appearance of choroid is very different from the top retinal layers. Choroid thickness and structure is an important index of various pathologies (diabetes etc.). As part of the pre-apoptotic monitoring project it was shown that an increase in proportion of apoptotic cells in vitro can be accurately quantified. Moreover, the data obtained indicates a similar increase in neuronal scatter in retinal explants following axotomy (removal of retinas from the eye), suggesting that UHR-OCT can be a novel non-invasive technique for the in vivo assessment of neuronal health. Additionally, an independent project within the computer science department in collaboration with the school of psychology has been successfully carried out, improving analysis of facial dynamics and behaviour transfer between individuals. Also, important improvements to a general signal processing algorithm, dynamic time warping (DTW), have been made, allowing potential application in a broad signal processing field.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Automated retinal layer segmentation and pre-apoptotic monitoring for three-dimensional optical coherence tomography

The aim of this PhD thesis was to develop segmentation algorithm adapted and optimized to retinal OCT data that will provide objective 3D layer thickness which might be used to improve diagnosis and monitoring of retinal pathologies. Additionally, a 3D stack registration method was produced by modifying an existing algorithm. A related project was to develop a pre-apoptotic retinal monitoring based on the changes in texture parameters of the OCT scans in order to enable treatment before the changes become irreversible; apoptosis refers to the programmed cell death that can occur in retinal tissue and lead to blindness. These issues can be critical for the examination of tissues within the central nervous system. A novel statistical model for segmentation has been created and successfully applied to a large data set. A broad range of future research possibilities into advanced pathologies has been created by the results obtained. A separate model has been created for choroid segmentation located deep in retina, as the appearance of choroid is very different from the top retinal layers. Choroid thickness and structure is an important index of various pathologies (diabetes etc.). As part of the pre-apoptotic monitoring project it was shown that an increase in proportion of apoptotic cells in vitro can be accurately quantified. Moreover, the data obtained indicates a similar increase in neuronal scatter in retinal explants following axotomy (removal of retinas from the eye), suggesting that UHR-OCT can be a novel non-invasive technique for the in vivo assessment of neuronal health. Additionally, an independent project within the computer science department in collaboration with the school of psychology has been successfully carried out, improving analysis of facial dynamics and behaviour transfer between individuals. Also, important improvements to a general signal processing algorithm, dynamic time warping (DTW), have been made, allowing potential application in a broad signal processing field

Choroidal Haller's and Sattler's Layer Thickness Measurement Using 3-Dimensional 1060-nm Optical Coherence Tomography

Objectives: To examine the feasibility of automatically segmented choroidal vessels in three-dimensional (3D) 1060-nmOCT by testing repeatability in healthy and AMD eyes and by mapping Haller's and Sattler's layer thickness in healthy eyes Methods: Fifty-five eyes (from 45 healthy subjects and 10 with non-neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) subjects) were imaged by 3D-1060-nmOCT over a 36°x36° field of view. Haller's and Sattler's layer were automatically segmented, mapped and averaged across the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study grid. For ten AMD eyes and ten healthy eyes, imaging was repeated within the same session and on another day. Outcomes were the repeatability agreement of Haller's and Sattler's layer thicknesses in healthy and AMD eyes, the validation with ICGA and the statistical analysis of the effect of age and axial eye length (AL) on both healthy choroidalsublayers. Results: The coefficients of repeatability for Sattler's and Haller's layers were 35% and 21% in healthy eyes and 44% and 31% in AMD eyes, respectively. The mean±SD healthy central submacular field thickness for Sattler's and Haller's was 87±56 µm and 141±50 µm, respectively, with a significant relationship for AL (P<.001). Conclusions: Automated Sattler's and Haller's thickness segmentation generates rapid 3D measurements with a repeatability correspondingto reported manual segmentation. Sublayers in healthy eyes thinnedsignificantly with increasing AL. In the presence of the thinned Sattler's layer in AMD, careful measurement interpretation is needed. Automatic choroidal vascular layer mapping may help to explain if pathological choroidal thinning affects medium and large choroidal vasculature in addition to choriocapillaris loss.Macular Vision Research FoundationMedical University of ViennaEuropean Union (project FUN OCT (FP7 HEALTH, contract no. 201880))European Union (FAMOS (FP7 ICT 317744))European Union (FWF-NFN ‘Photoacoustic imaging in biology and Medicine’, Oesterreichische Nationalbank Jubilaumsfonds projekt (14294))National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH R01-EY011289-27)Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG-GSC80-SAOT)Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG-GSC80-SAOT, DFG-HO-1791/11-1)Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.FEMTOLASERS (Firm)Christian Doppler Societ

Three-Dimensional 1060-nm OCT: Choroidal thickness maps in normal subjects and improved posterior segment visualization in cataract patients

Purpose. To evaluate the performance and potential clinical role of three-dimensional (3D) 1060-nm OCT by generating choroidal thickness (ChT) maps in patients of different ages with different degrees of ametropia and axial lengths and to investigate the effect of cataract grade on OCT retinal imaging quality. Methods. Axial lengths (ALs) and 45° fundus photographs were acquired from 64 eyes (34 healthy subjects, 19 to 80 years, ametropia +3 to −10 D). 3D 1060-nm OCT was performed over a 36° × 36° field of view with ∼7-μm axial resolution and up to 70 frames/s (512 A-scans/frame). ChT maps between retinal pigment epithelium and the choroidal–scleral interface, were generated and statistically analyzed. A further 30 eyes (19 subjects), with cataracts assessed with the LOCS III scale, were imaged with 3D 1060-nm OCT and 800-nm OCT, and visualization of the posterior segment was compared qualitatively. Results. In 64 eyes, ChT maps displayed a thickness decrease with increasing AL. Subfoveal ChT was 315 ± 106 μm (mean ± SD), negatively correlated with AL (R2 = −0.47, P 24.5 mm showed a larger variation and a thicker ChT superiorly than inferiorly. Reduced signal strength in cataractous eyes was found in 65% of the 800-nm OCT images, but in only 10% of the 1060-nm OCT images. Conclusions. The imaging performance of 3D 1060-nm OCT is unique, producing maps that show the variation in ChT over the entire field of view, in relation to axial length. This imaging system has the potential of visualizing a novel clinical diagnostic biomarker. Compared with 800-nm OCT, it provides superior visualization of the posterior pole in cataractous eyes

Mapping choroidal and retinal thickness variation in Type 2 diabetes using three-dimensional 1060-nm optical coherence tomography

Purpose. To map choroidal (ChT) and retinal thickness (RT) in healthy subjects and patients with diabetes with and without maculopathy using three dimensional 1060-nm optical coherence tomography (3D-1060nm-OCT). Methods. Sixty-three eyes from 42 diabetic subjects (41–82 years of age; 11 females) grouped according to a custom scheme using Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study definitions for pathology within 1 disc-diameter of fovea (without pathology [NDR], microaneurysms [M1], exudates [M2], clinically significant macular edema [CSME]) and 16 eyes from 16 healthy age matched subjects (38–79 years of age; 11 females) were imaged by 3D-1060nm-OCT performed over a 36° × 36° field of view. Axial length, 45° fundus photographs, body mass index, plasma glucose, and blood pressure measurements were recorded. The ChT at the subfoveal location and ChT maps between RPE and the choroidal–scleral interface were generated and statistically analyzed. Results. RT maps show thinning in the NDR group but an increase in thickness with increasing maculopathy in the temporal and central regions (unpaired t-test; P < 0.05). ChT mapping of all diabetic patients revealed central and inferior thinning compared to healthy eyes (unpaired t-test; P < 0.001). Subfoveal ChT (mean ± SD) for healthy eyes was 327 ± 74 μm, which was significantly thicker than all diabetic groups (214 ± 55 μm for NDR, 208 ± 49 μm for M1, 205 ± 54 μm for M2, and 211 ± 76 μm for CSME (ANOVA P < 0.001; Tukey P < 0.001)

Facial dynamics in biometric identification

This paper investigates the use of facial gestures for identity recognition. This is the first time that such a quantitative evaluation is conducted, comparing the analyses of 2D versus 3D dynamic data of verbal and nonverbal facial actions. Suitable data processing and feature extraction methods are examined, then a number of pattern matching techniques including the Fr´echet distance, Correlation Coefficients, Hidden-Markov Models, Dynamic TimeWarping and its derived forms are compared, in light of which an improved algorithm is proposed. Finally, a face recognition prototype using facial dynamics is built, achieving an Equal Error Rate EER=1.6%

Choroidal Thinning in Diabetes Type 1 Detected by 3- Dimensional 1060 nm Optical Coherence Tomography

PURPOSE. To map choroidal (ChT) and retinal thickness (RT) in patients with diabetes type 1 with and without maculopathy and retinopathy in order to compare them with healthy subjects using high speed 3-dimensional (3D) 1060 nm optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS. Thirty-three eyes from 33 diabetes type 1 subjects (23-57 years, 15 male) divided into groups of without pathology (NDR) and with pathology (DR; including microaneurysms, exudates, clinically significant macular-oedema and proliferative retinopathy) were compared with 20 healthy axial eye length and age-matched subjects (24-57 years, 9 male), imaged by high speed (60.000 A-scans/s) 3D 1060 nm OCT performed over 368 3 368 field of view. Ocular health status, disease duration, body mass index, haemoglobin-A1c, and blood pressure (bp) measurements were recorded. Subfoveal ChT, and 2D topographic maps between retinal pigment epithelium and the choroidal/scleralinterface, were automatically generated and statistically analyzed. RESULTS. Subfoveal ChT (mean 6 SD, lm) for healthy eyes was 388 6 109; significantly thicker than all diabetic groups, 291 6 64 for NDR, and 303 6 82 for DR (ANOVA P &lt; 0.004, Tukey P ¼ 0.01 for NDR and DR). Thinning did not relate to recorded factors (multi-regression analysis, P &gt; 0.05). Compared with healthy eyes and the NDR, the averaged DR ChT-map demonstrated temporal thinning that extended superiorly and temporalinferiorly (unpaired t-test, P &lt; 0.05). Foveal RT and RT-maps showed no statistically significant difference between groups (mean SD, lm, healthy 212 6 17, NDR 217 6 15, DR 216 6 27, ANOVA P &gt; 0.05). CONCLUSIONS. ChT is decreased in diabetes type 1, independent of the absence of pathology and of diabetic disease duration. In eyes with pathology, 3D 1060 nm OCT averaged maps showed an extension of the thinning area matching retinal lesions and suggesting its involvement on onset or progression of disease. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2012;53:6803-6809

Choroidal Haller’s and Sattler’s Layer Thickness Measurement Using 3-Dimensional 1060-nm Optical Coherence Tomography

Objectives: To examine the feasibility of automatically segmented choroidal vessels in three-dimensional (3D) 1060-nmOCT by testing repeatability in healthy and AMD eyes and by mapping Haller’s and Sattler’s layer thickness in healthy eyes Methods: Fifty-five eyes (from 45 healthy subjects and 10 with non-neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) subjects) were imaged by 3D-1060-nmOCT over a 36ux36u field of view. Haller’s and Sattler’s layer were automatically segmented, mapped and averaged across the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study grid. For ten AMD eyes and ten healthy eyes, imaging was repeated within the same session and on another day. Outcomes were the repeatability agreement of Haller’s and Sattler’s layer thicknesses in healthy and AMD eyes, the validation with ICGA and the statistical analysis of the effect of age and axial eye length (AL) on both healthy choroidalsublayers. Results: The coefficients of repeatability for Sattler’s and Haller’s layers were 35% and 21% in healthy eyes and 44% and 31% in AMD eyes, respectively. The mean6SD healthy central submacular field thickness for Sattler’s and Haller’s was 87656 mm and 141650 mm, respectively, with a significant relationship for AL (P,.001). Conclusions: Automated Sattler’s and Haller’s thickness segmentation generates rapid 3D measurements with a repeatability correspondingto reported manual segmentation. Sublayers in healthy eyes thinnedsignificantly with increasing AL. In the presence of the thinned Sattler’s layer in AMD, careful measurement interpretation is needed. Automatic choroidal vascular layer mapping may help to explain if pathological choroidal thinning affects medium and large choroidal vasculature in addition to choriocapillaris loss

Segmentation validation in a non-neovascular AMD eye via a comparison of the segmented vasculature with indocyanine green angiography (ICGA).

<p>Early phase (A) and middle phase (B) angiography images show the ICGAresolution for choroidal vascular imaging. OCT B-scan centered on the fovea (C), and segmented areasare marked in red (D) to visualize vessel segmentation. The OCT B-scan (D) shows the segmentation lines for the retina between the ILM (green line) and the RBC complex. The choroid is located between the RBC complex and the sclera (yellow line). En face views are locatedat the inner choroid (E), the outer choroid (F) and the entire choroid (G) to demonstrate captured vessels and depth information. The bars represent 1 mm.</p

Automated calculated mean for healthy Sattler's and Haller's layer thickness across the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study grid ( µm).

<p>Data are expressed in µm and as the mean ± standard deviation (range).</p><p>a. Eyes were grouped based on the normal AL variation with refraction and age by myopia: AL≥24.5 mm, emmetropic: 24.5>AL≥23.4 mm or hyperopic:AL<23.4 mm)</p><p>b. univariate ANOVA (post-hoc test Tukey for hyperopic and myopic eyes)</p