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Published on: March 26, 2020
A novel noninvasive detection method for retinal nonperfusion using confocal red-free imaging
Yong Un Shin1, Byung Ro Lee, Sungmin Kim
1Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.
Ophthalmology
|April 7, 2012
Summary
Confocal red-free imaging reliably detects retinal nonperfusion in diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein occlusion. This safe, noninvasive method shows high correlation with fluorescein angiography for evaluating ischemic retinopathy.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Medical Imaging
- Retinal Diseases
Background:
- Diabetic retinopathy (DR) and retinal vein occlusion (RVO) are leading causes of vision loss.
- Accurate detection of retinal nonperfusion is crucial for managing these ischemic retinopathies.
- Current imaging modalities like fluorescein angiography (FA) are invasive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce confocal red-free blue reflectance imaging as a novel, noninvasive method for detecting retinal nonperfusion.
- To compare the effectiveness of this new imaging technique with FA in patients with DR and RVO.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective observational case series involving 54 eyes of 44 patients with DR or RVO.
- Patients underwent both confocal red-free imaging and FA.
- Two independent readers delineated areas of retinal nonperfusion, and image analysis compared sizes and overlap ratios.
Main Results:
- Confocal red-free imaging demonstrated a high correlation (r>0.9) with FA in assessing the size of retinal nonperfusion.
- Reliable agreement was found between the two methods, with an overlapping ratio of 0.76 for delineated areas.
- The size comparison between methods showed no significant difference (P = 0.563).
Conclusions:
- Confocal red-free imaging is a simple, reliable, safe, and noninvasive tool for plotting retinal nonperfusion.
- This technique has potential for noninvasive detection, quantification, and monitoring of ischemic retinopathy in clinical settings.
- It can aid in screening, initial evaluation, treatment, and follow-up of conditions like DR and RVO.
