Imaging of optic nerve head drusen: improvements with spectral domain optical coherence tomography

• Published in: Journal of glaucoma Vol. 18; no. 5; p. 373
• Main Authors: Yi, Kayoung, Mujat, Mircea, Sun, Wei, Burnes, Daina, Latina, Mark A, Lin, Derrick T, Deschler, Daniel G, Rubin, Peter A D, Park, Boris Hyle, de Boer, Johannes F, Chen, Teresa C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.06.2009
• Subjects: Aged; Algorithms; Female; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Male; Middle Aged; Optic Disk Drusen - complications; Optic Disk Drusen - diagnosis; Tomography, Optical Coherence - methods; Tomography, Optical Coherence - standards; Vision Disorders - diagnosis; Vision Disorders - etiology; Visual Field Tests - methods; Visual Fields
• ISSN: 1536-481X
• DOI: 10.1097/IJG.0b013e31818624a4

To demonstrate a new algorithm that can determine the shape, location, and volume of optic nerve head drusen (ONHD), which were imaged with spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT). One exenteration patient and 4 glaucoma patients with bilateral ONHD were recruited from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and from a private practice office. Images were obtained using an experimental SDOCT system developed at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. With axial resolutions of about 6 mum, SDOCT can obtain 2-dimensional images in 1/29 of a second, compared with commercially available time domain OCT instruments with 10 mum resolution images in 1.28 seconds. The volumes of ONHD were calculated with a new algorithm and were then correlated with visual field mean deviation. SDOCT can display 2-dimensional images comparable with histology and 3-dimensional videos of ONHD. ONHD are signal-poor regions with high-signaled borders. Larger ONHD volumes are directly correlated with larger mean deviation absolute values on Humphrey visual field testing. SDOCT is a potentially better technique for ONHD imaging and may improve the diagnosis and management of patients with both OHND and glaucoma.