Split-spectrum dual-domain phase-intensity fusion optical coherence tomography angiography

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Biomedical Imaging
• Medical Technology

Background:

• Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) offers high-resolution retinal microvasculature imaging.
• Ocular motion introduces significant motion artifacts, degrading OCTA image quality.
• Existing methods struggle to fully correct these artifacts, limiting clinical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel algorithm for motion artifact reduction in OCTA.
• To enhance the signal-to-noise ratio and fidelity of OCTA images.
• To enable high-quality OCTA imaging under dynamic conditions.

Main Methods:

• A split-spectrum dual-domain phase-intensity fusion algorithm was developed.
• The algorithm mitigates phase drift and corrects frequency-domain phase errors.
• Independent processing of spectral sub-bands and fusion of amplitude-decorrelation and phase-difference information were employed.

Main Results:

• The algorithm significantly reduced motion artifacts in in vivo mouse-retina OCTA imaging.
• Angiographic contrast and signal fidelity were markedly improved.
• Effective artifact reduction was achieved without additional inter-frame registration.

Conclusions:

• The proposed phase-intensity fusion algorithm provides a reliable method for high-quality OCTA.
• This technique is effective even under dynamic conditions or at low acquisition frame rates.
• It offers a path towards more robust and clinically applicable OCTA imaging.