Multimodal Heartbeat and Compression Optical Coherence Elastography for Mapping Corneal Biomechanics

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Corneal biomechanical properties are crucial for eye health and disease diagnosis.
• Accurate measurement of corneal stiffness is essential for understanding ocular conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a multimodal approach for measuring corneal biomechanical properties using two elastography techniques.
• To assess the comparability of heartbeat optical coherence elastography (Hb-OCE) and compression OCE.
• To evaluate the techniques' ability to measure changes in corneal stiffness, such as after collagen crosslinking.

Main Methods:

• Simultaneous measurement of corneal stiffness in an in vivo rabbit model using Hb-OCE and compression OCE.
• Application of collagen crosslinking to induce changes in corneal stiffness.
• Mapping of mechanical contrast within the cornea.

Main Results:

• Both Hb-OCE and compression OCE provided comparable measurements of corneal stiffness.
• The combined technique successfully measured induced changes in corneal stiffness.
• Mechanical contrast within the cornea could be mapped effectively.

Conclusions:

• Hb-OCE and compression OCE can be used interchangeably for measuring corneal biomechanical properties.
• This multimodal elastography approach offers a robust method for assessing corneal stiffness and mechanical changes.
• The findings support the clinical relevance of advanced elastography techniques in ophthalmology.