In vivo multi-contrast depth-resolved choroidal imaging of a mouse using polarization-diversity optical coherence...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Biomedical Imaging
• Medical Photonics

Background:

• Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is a significant cause of vision loss.
• Accurate in vivo imaging of the mouse choroid is crucial for studying CNV.
• Existing imaging techniques may have limitations in resolution or contrast.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present depth-resolved multi-contrast in vivo mouse choroidal imaging.
• To demonstrate the utility of a polarization-diversity optical coherence tomography (PD-OCT) system for detailed choroidal visualization.
• To analyze pathological characteristics of laser-induced CNV in mice.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a polarization-diversity optical coherence tomography (PD-OCT) system for in vivo mouse imaging.
• Employed sensorless adaptive optics for fine-tuning the depth of focus.
• Applied segmentation based on the degree of polarization uniformity signal for feature visualization.

Main Results:

• Achieved depth-resolved multi-contrast imaging of the mouse choroid.
• Visualized detailed choroidal features using OCT angiography.
• Identified distinctive pathological characteristics of laser-induced CNV in the mouse model.

Conclusions:

• PD-OCT with adaptive optics and polarization uniformity segmentation enables detailed in vivo mouse choroidal imaging.
• This method is effective for characterizing pathological changes, such as CNV.
• The findings support the use of this technique for preclinical research in ophthalmology.