Carl Zeiss Meditec Gmbh

University of Washington

Optovue, Inc.

Carl Zeiss Meditec Ag

Utkarsh Sharma

Matthew J Everett

Mary K Durbin

Tilman Schmoll

Lin An

Lingfeng Yu

Alexandre R Tumlinson

Homayoun Bagherinia

Sophie Kubach

Xing Wei

Siddharth Srivastava

Jay Wei

Michael Kempe

Scott A Meyer

Harihar Narasimha-Iyer

Ruikang K Wang

Tony H Ko

Ben Jang

Qienyuan Zhou

Ben K Jang

Yi-Sing Hsiao

Hueyming Tzeng

Shamika Gune

Muhammad K Al-Qaisi

Methods for improved acquisition and processing of optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography data are presented. One embodiment involves improving the acquisition of the data by evaluating the quality of different portions of the data to identify sections having non-uniform acquisition parameters or non-uniformities due to opacities in the eye such as floaters. The identified sections can then be brought to the attention of the user or automatically reacquired. In another embodiment, segmentation of layers in the retina includes both structural and flow information derived from motion contrast processing. In a further embodiment, the health of the eye is evaluating by comparing a metric reflecting the density of vessels at a particular location in the eye determined by OCT angiography to a database of values calculated on normal eyes.

Acquisition and analysis techniques for improved outcomes in optical coherence tomography angiography

Systems and methods to improve the visualization of vasculature in OCT angiography data are presented. In one embodiment, vessels having a particular orientation relative to one or more reference surfaces are highlighted. In another embodiment, the path of individual vessels can be analyzed to determine how many or what layers the vessels traverse. In another embodiment, regions which are typically not vascularized are analyzed for the presence of vessels. Techniques to minimize the impact of shadow artifacts are also presented and can be applied to any of the visualization approaches for further enhancement.

Enhanced vessel characterization in optical coherence tomograogphy angiography

Methods and systems in ophthalmic imaging are presented that increase the sensitivity of automated diagnoses by the use of a combination of both functional and structural information derived from a variety of ophthalmic imaging modalities. An example method to analyze image data of an eye of a patient includes processing a first image dataset to obtain one or more functional metrics; processing a second image dataset to obtain one or more structural metrics; comparing the one or more structural metrics to the one or more functional metrics; and processing the results of said comparison to derive the probability of a disease or normality of the eye.

Methods and systems for combined morphological and angiographic analyses of retinal features

In some embodiments of the present invention, a method of reducing artifacts includes obtaining OCT/OCTA data from an OCT/OCTA imager; preprocessing OCTA/OCT volume data; extracting features from the preprocessed OCTA/OCT volume data; classifying the OCTA/OCT volume data to provide a probability determination data; determining a percentage data from the probability data determination; and reducing artifacts in response to the percentage data.

Methods and apparatus for reducing artifacts in OCT angiography using machine learning techniques

A method for reducing motion artifacts in optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography images is disclosed. The method is applied to the intensity or complex OCT data prior to applying the motion contrast analysis and involves determining sub-pixel level shifts between at least two B-scans repeated approximately at the same location and applying the sub-pixel level shifts to the B-scans to be able to correct for motion and accurately determine motion contrast signal. A preferred embodiment includes the use of 2D cross correlations to register a series of B-scans in both the axial (z-) and lateral (x-) dimensions and a convolution approach to achieve sub-pixel level frame registration.

Methods of reducing motion artifacts for optical coherence tomography angiography

Systems and methods for enhanced accuracy in optical coherence tomography imaging of the cornea are presented, including approaches for more accurate corneal surface modeling, pachymetry maps, keratometric values, and corneal power. These methods involve new scan patterns, an eye tracking mechanism for transverse motion feedback, and advanced motion correction algorithms. In one embodiment the methods comprise acquiring a first sparse set of data, using that data to create a corneal surface model, and then using the model to register a second set of denser data acquisition. This second set of data is used to create a more accurate, motion-corrected model of the cornea, from which pachymetry maps, keratometric values, and corneal power information can be generated. In addition, methods are presented for determining simulated keratometry values from optical coherence tomography data, and for better tracking and registration by using both rotation about three axes and the corneal apex.

Systems and methods for enhanced accuracy in OCT imaging of the cornea

Acquistion and analysis techniques for improved outcomes in optical coherence tomography angiography

Systems and methods are presented for acquisition and processing of spectrally dispersed illumination optical coherence tomographic data. Light from a source is distributed spectrally on the sample, and each acquisition simultaneously provides partial spectral interference information from multiple locations in the sample. Thus for a given spatial point, a single observation will be of a partial spectrum A-scan. When multiple partial spectrum A-scan observations are made at the same point by shifting the spectrum of light on to the tissue, the point can be observed by the entire broadband spectrum of the light source, thereby making it possible to create a full axial resolution A-scan.

Systems and methods for spectrally dispersed illumination optical coherence tomography

Methods for analyzing and visualizing OCT angiography data are presented. In one embodiment, an automated method for identifying the foveal avascular zone in a two dimensional en face image generated from motion contrast data is presented. Several 3D visualization techniques are presented including one in which a particular vessel is selected in a motion contrast image and all connected vessels are highlighted. A further embodiment includes a stereoscopic visualization method. In addition, a variety of metrics for characterizing OCT angiography image data are described.

Analysis and visualization of OCT angiography data

Split Integration Mode (SIM) acquisition schemes are presented that enable optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging at multiple rates. SIM enables a system and method of operation having a first mode and a second mode, wherein the fundamental acquisition rate of the detector is the same in the two modes, but wherein the generated signals in the second mode are digitally combined prior to signal processing to create a data set with an effective acquisition rate less than the fundamental acquisition rate.

Split integration mode acquisition for optimized OCT imaging at multiple speeds

Systems and methods for improved acquisition of ophthalmic optical coherence tomography data are presented, allowing for enhanced ease of use and higher quality data and analysis functionality. Embodiments include automated triggering for detecting and initiating collection of OCT ophthalmic data, an automated technique for determining the optimal number of B-scans to be collected to create the highest quality image and optimize speckle reduction, automated review of fundus images collected with an adjunct imaging modality to guide the OCT data collection, a single scan protocol in which a large field of view is collected with HD B-scans embedded at different locations depending on automated analysis of either a fundus image or sparse OCT scan, and various scan configurations for imaging eyes with large axial depth range.

Systems and methods for improved acquisition of ophthalmic optical coherence tomography data

Systems and methods for faster acquisition and processing of OCT image data are presented. In one embodiment of the present invention, an OCT system is operated in two different acquisition modes of different axial resolutions to allow for efficient collection of OCT Angiography data while also collecting high resolution OCT data. In another embodiment, a reduced subset of a collected data set is used for OCT Angiography data analysis. In another embodiment, a sweep of a swept-source laser is split into different spectral components covering different transverse locations on the sample. A further aspect includes the ability to process all or a portion of collected OCT data with one motion contrast technique before or while a second set is processed using a different motion contrast technique.

Systems and methods for faster optical coherence tomography acquisition and processing

Techniques for collecting and processing complex OCT data to detect localized motion contrast information with enhanced accuracy and sensitivity are presented. In a preferred embodiment, vector differences between complex OCT signals taken at the same location on the sample are used to detect blood flow in the retina. Additional embodiments involving non-linear intensity weighting of the motion contrast information, normalization of the vector difference amplitudes, and calculating the absolute value of the standard deviation of Doppler signal are described. Image processing techniques to enhance the images resulting from these motion contrast techniques are also presented.

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Dublin, CA, United States of America

Utkarsh Sharma