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A method for volumetric retinal tissue oxygen tension imaging.
Anthony E Felder1,2, Justin Wanek2, Pang-Yu Teng2
1a Department of Bioengineering , University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago IL, USA.
Current Eye Research
|September 29, 2017
Summary
Researchers developed a novel 3D imaging method to measure retinal tissue oxygen tension (tPO2) in rats. This technique reveals how oxygen levels change with depth and under varying systemic conditions, crucial for understanding retinal diseases.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Physiology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Inadequate retinal oxygenation is a hallmark of vision-threatening diseases like diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration.
- Assessing retinal oxygenation is vital for understanding retinal physiology in health and disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel method for three-dimensional (3D) imaging of retinal tissue oxygen tension (tPO2) in a rat model.
- To enable quantitative analysis of retinal oxygenation in different retinal layers and under varying physiological conditions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized phase-delayed phosphorescence imaging with a scanned laser line to acquire 3D optical sections of the rat retina.
- Constructed 3D retinal tPO2 volumes and analyzed depth profiles for mean tPO2 (M_tPO2) and spatial variation (SV_tPO2).
- Employed mixed linear models to assess the impact of systemic condition (normoxia/hypoxia) and retinal depth on tPO2 parameters.
Main Results:
- Successfully generated 3D retinal tPO2 volumes (approx. 500 × 750 × 200 μm) comprising 45 en face images.
- Demonstrated a significant correlation between M_tPO2 at the chorioretinal interface and systemic arterial oxygen tension.
- Revealed significant decreases in M_tPO2 and SV_tPO2 under hypoxia compared to normoxia, and higher values in the outer retina versus the inner retina.
Conclusions:
- This study presents the first demonstration of 3D retinal tPO2 imaging.
- The developed method holds significant potential for evaluating physiological changes in animal models of retinal diseases.
- Provides a new tool for in-vivo assessment of retinal oxygenation crucial for disease research.
