Rocholz Roland, Corvi Federico, Weichsel Julian, Schmidt Stefan, Staurenghi Giovanni
Heidelberg Engineering GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany
Eye Clinic, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Science “Luigi Sacco”, Sacco Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
(OCTA) is an imaging modality which can be applied in ophthalmology to provide detailed visualization of the perfusion of vascular networks in the eye. Compared to previous state of the art dye-based imaging, such as fluorescein angiography, OCTA is non-invasive, time-efficient, and it allows for the examination of retinal vasculature in 3D. These advantages of the technique combined with the good usability in commercial devices led to a quick adoption of the new modality in the clinical routine. However, the interpretation of OCTA data is not without problems: Commonly observed image artifacts and the quite involved algorithmic details of OCTA signal construction can make the clinical assessment of OCTA exams challenging. In this article we describe the technical background of OCTA and discuss the data acquisition process, common image visualization techniques, as well as limitations and sources of artifacts of the modality. Examples of clinical cases underline the increasing importance of the OCTA technology in ophthalmology and its relation to dye-based angiography.
光学相干断层扫描血管造影(OCTA)是一种成像方式,可应用于眼科,以提供眼部血管网络灌注的详细可视化图像。与先前基于染料的先进成像技术(如荧光素血管造影)相比,OCTA是非侵入性的、省时的,并且能够对视网膜血管系统进行三维检查。该技术的这些优点,再加上在商业设备中的良好可用性,使得这种新的成像方式在临床实践中迅速得到应用。然而,OCTA数据的解读并非没有问题:常见的图像伪影以及OCTA信号构建中相当复杂的算法细节,可能会使OCTA检查的临床评估具有挑战性。在本文中,我们描述了OCTA的技术背景,并讨论了数据采集过程、常见的图像可视化技术,以及该成像方式的局限性和伪影来源。临床病例示例强调了OCTA技术在眼科中的重要性日益增加,以及它与基于染料的血管造影的关系。