Serial optical coherence tomography angiography for corneal vascularization.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Corneal Disease

Background:

• Herpetic keratitis can lead to corneal neovascularization, potentially impacting vision.
• Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a non-invasive imaging technique for visualizing vascular networks.
• Assessing treatment efficacy for corneal vascularization requires objective measurement methods.

Observation:

• This study utilized serial OCTA imaging with an anterior segment adapter to evaluate corneal vascularization.
• The split-spectrum amplitude decorrelation angiography (SSADA) algorithm was employed on the AngioVue OCTA system.
• Scans were performed before and three months after various treatments for herpetic keratitis.

Findings:

• OCTA demonstrated a significant decrease in corneal vascularization area across all treatment groups.
• Treatments included fine-needle diathermy, subconjunctival bevacizumab, and systemic steroids for graft rejection.
• Statistically significant reductions in vascularization were observed post-treatment (P < 0.05 for all modalities).

Implications:

• Serial OCTA imaging shows promise as a tool for objectively quantifying corneal vascularization.
• This technique could aid in monitoring treatment response and evaluating new anti-vascular therapies.
• Further development of image processing software is recommended for clinical application.