Robotic Optical Coherence Tomography With Expanded Three-Dimensional Field-of-View Using Point-Cloud-Based Volumetric...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has limited field of view (FOV) for imaging complex, non-planar anatomies.
• Existing methods like mechanical translation lack flexibility for non-planar structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a robotic OCT system to overcome FOV limitations in imaging complex anatomies.
• To develop a volumetric montaging algorithm for accurate 3D reconstruction despite robotic inaccuracies.
• To image the entire circumferential aqueous humor outflow pathway in vivo for glaucoma research.

Main Methods:

• Developed a robotic OCT system integrating robotic arm movement with OCT imaging.
• Created a volumetric montaging algorithm to address discrepancies between robotic accuracy and OCT resolution.
• Acquired volumetric OCT data at multiple robotic poses to reconstruct the anterior segment of the eye.

Main Results:

• Successfully reconstructed the entire anterior segment of the eye, including the aqueous humor outflow pathway.
• Demonstrated circumferentially heterogeneous morphology of Schlemm's canal.
• Revealed segmental distribution of collector channels with micrometer-scale features.

Conclusions:

• Robotic OCT with volumetric montaging is effective for imaging large, complex anatomies previously unachievable with standard OCT.
• This technology provides unprecedented insights into the morphology of the aqueous humor outflow pathway.
• Findings have potential implications for customizing glaucoma surgeries and understanding disease mechanisms.