Beckman Laser Institute, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, United States.
Marshall B. Ketchum University. Southern California College of Optometry, Fullerton, California, United States.
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2018 Jan 1;59(1):455-461. doi: 10.1167/iovs.17-22971.
We used acoustic radiation force optical coherence elastography (ARF-OCE) to map out the elasticity of retinal layers in healthy and diseased in vivo rabbit models for the first time.
A healthy rabbit eye was proptosed and imaged using ARF-OCE, by measuring the tissue deformation after an acoustic force is applied. A diseased retinal inflammation model was used to observe the contrast before and after disease formation. Retinal histologic analysis was performed to identify layers of the retina corresponding with the optical images.
The general trend of the retinal layer elasticity is increasing stiffness from the ganglion side to the photoreceptor side, with the stiffest layer being the sclera. In a healthy rabbit model, the mechanical properties varied from 3 to 16 kPa for the five layers that were identified via optical imaging and histology (3.09 ± 0.46, 3.82 ± 0.88, 4.53 ± 0.74, 6.59 ± 2.27, 16.11 ± 5.13 kPa). In the diseased model, we have induced optical damage in a live rabbit and observed a change in the stiffness trend in its retina.
High sensitivity elasticity maps can be obtained using the ARF-OCE system to differentiate different retinal layers. Subtle changes in the mechanical properties during the onset of diseases, such as retinal degeneration, can be measured and aid in early clinical diagnosis. This study validates our imaging system for the characterization of retinal elasticity for the detection of retinal diseases in vivo.
我们首次使用声辐射力光学相干弹性成像（ARF-OCE）对活体健康和患病兔模型的视网膜层进行弹性成像。
使用 ARF-OCE 对健康兔眼进行突出和成像，通过测量施加声力后的组织变形来实现。使用患病的视网膜炎症模型观察疾病形成前后的对比。进行视网膜组织学分析以识别与光学图像相对应的视网膜层。
视网膜层弹性的总体趋势是从节细胞侧到光感受器侧逐渐增加硬度，最硬的层是巩膜。在健康兔模型中，通过光学成像和组织学鉴定的 5 个视网膜层的力学特性在 3 到 16kPa 之间变化（3.09 ± 0.46、3.82 ± 0.88、4.53 ± 0.74、6.59 ± 2.27、16.11 ± 5.13kPa）。在患病模型中，我们在活体兔中诱导了光学损伤，并观察到其视网膜硬度趋势发生了变化。
使用 ARF-OCE 系统可以获得高灵敏度的弹性图谱，以区分不同的视网膜层。在疾病发作期间，如视网膜变性，机械性能的细微变化可以被测量，并有助于早期临床诊断。本研究验证了我们的成像系统用于检测体内视网膜疾病的视网膜弹性特征。
