a-workflow-to-quantitatively-determine-age-related-macular

A Workflow to Quantitatively Determine Age-Related Macular Degeneration Lesion-Specific Variations in Fundus Autofluorescence

Fundus autofluorescence (FAF) imaging allows the noninvasive mapping of intrinsic fluorophores of the ocular fundus, particularly the retinal pigment ...

ex-vivo-oct-based-multimodal-imaging-human-donor-eyes-for-research

<em>Ex Vivo</em> OCT-Based Multimodal Imaging of Human Donor Eyes for Research into Age-Related Macular Degeneration

A progression sequence for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) learned from optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based multimodal (MMI) clinical imaging ...

University of Bonn

University Hospital Bonn

To investigate the effect of systemic chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine (CQ/HCQ) on outer retinal health using quantitative fundus autofluorescence (QAF) imaging.

Quantitative Fundus Autofluorescence in Systemic Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine Therapy.

Soft drusen and basal linear deposit (BLinD) are two forms of the same extracellular lipid rich material that together make up an Oil Spill on Bruch's membrane (BrM). Drusen are focal and can be recognized clinically. In contrast BLinD is thin and diffusely distributed, and invisible clinically, even on highest resolution OCT, but has been detected on  hyperspectral autofluorescence (AF) imaging . We sought to optimize histologic hyperspectral AF imaging and image analysis for recognition of drusen and sub-RPE deposits (including BLinD and basal laminar deposit), for potential clinical application.

Hyperspectral autofluorescence characterization of drusen and sub-RPE deposits in age-related macular degeneration.

Quantitative fundus autofluorescence (QAF) enables comparisons of autofluorescence intensities among participants. While clinical QAF reports mostly focused on the healthy and diseased adult retina, only very limited data of QAF in the maturing eye are available. Here, we report QAF in a large cohort of healthy children.

Quantitative Fundus Autofluorescence in the Developing and Maturing Healthy Eye.

For an understanding of the pathology of retinal diseases, direct comparisons of high-resolution in vivo retinal imaging and ex vivo histological preparations are desirable.

Correlation of in vivo/ex vivo imaging of the posterior eye segment.

Cells of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) accumulate different kinds of granules (lipofuscin, melanolipofuscin, melanosomes) within their cell bodies, with lipofuscin and melanolipofuscin being autofluorescent after blue light excitation. High amounts of lipofuscin granules within the RPE have been associated with the development of RPE cell death and age-related macular degeneration (AMD); however, this has not been confirmed in histology so far. Here, based on our previous dataset of RPE granule characteristics, we report the characteristics of RPE cells from human donor eyes that show either high or low numbers of intracellular granules or high or low autofluorescence (AF) intensities.

Characteristics of normal human retinal pigment epithelium cells with extremes of autofluorescence or intracellular granule count.

By optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging, hyperreflective foci (HRF) indicate progression risk for advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and are in part attributable to ectopic retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). We hypothesized that ectopic RPE are molecularly distinct from in-layer cells and that their cross-retinal course follows Müller glia.

Hyperreflective Foci, Optical Coherence Tomography Progression Indicators in Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Include Transdifferentiated Retinal Pigment Epithelium.

Melanotic cells with large spherical melanosomes, thought to originate from retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), are found in eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nvAMD). To generate hypotheses about RPE participation in fibrosis, we correlate histology to clinical imaging in an eye with prominent black pigment in fibrotic scar secondary to nvAMD.

Histology and clinical imaging lifecycle of black pigment in fibrosis secondary to neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells contain lipofuscin, melanolipofuscin, and melanosome organelles that impact clinical autofluorescence (AF) imaging. Here, we quantified the effect of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) on granule count and histologic AF of RPE cell bodies.

Autofluorescent Organelles Within the Retinal Pigment Epithelium in Human Donor Eyes With and Without Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Phenotype alterations of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) are a main characteristic of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Individual RPE cell shape descriptors may help to delineate healthy from AMD-affected cells in early disease stages.

Histologic Cell Shape Descriptors for the Retinal Pigment Epithelium in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Comparison to Unaffected Eyes.

Clinical discrimination of posterior uveitis entities remains a challenge. This exploratory, cross-sectional study investigated the green (GEFC) and red emission fluorescent components (REFC) of retinal and choroidal lesions in posterior uveitis to facilitate discrimination of the different entities. Eyes were imaged by color fundus photography, spectrally resolved fundus autofluorescence (Color-FAF) and optical coherence tomography. Retinal/choroidal lesions' intensities of GEFC (500-560 nm) and REFC (560-700 nm) were determined, and intensity-normalized Color-FAF images were compared for birdshot chorioretinopathy, ocular sarcoidosis, acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy (APMPPE), and punctate inner choroidopathy (PIC). Multivariable regression analyses were performed to reveal possible confounders. 76 eyes of 45 patients were included with a total of 845 lesions. Mean GEFC/REFC ratios were 0.82 ± 0.10, 0.92 ± 0.11, 0.86 ± 0.10, and 1.09 ± 0.19 for birdshot chorioretinopathy, sarcoidosis, APMPPE, and PIC lesions, respectively, and were significantly different in repeated measures ANOVA (p < 0.0001). Non-pigmented retinal/choroidal lesions, macular neovascularizations, and fundus areas of choroidal thinning featured predominantly GEFC, and pigmented retinal lesions predominantly REFC. Color-FAF imaging revealed involvement of both, short- and long-wavelength emission fluorophores in posterior uveitis. The GEFC/REFC ratio of retinal and choroidal lesions was significantly different between distinct subgroups. Hence, this novel imaging biomarker could aid diagnosis and differentiation of posterior uveitis entities.

Spectrally resolved autofluorescence imaging in posterior uveitis.

To investigate whether vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is associated with the onset of retinal vascular occlusive disease (RVOD).

Retinal Vascular Occlusion after COVID-19 Vaccination: More Coincidence than Causal Relationship? Data from a Retrospective Multicentre Study.

The purpose of this study was to analyze spatially resolved structural changes at retinal locations in presence (+) or absence (-) of hyper-reflective foci (HRF) in eyes with subretinal pigment epithelium (RPE) drusen in intermediate age-related macular degeneration (iAMD).

Hyper-Reflective Foci in Intermediate Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Spatial Abundance and Impact on Retinal Morphology.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) enables in vivo diagnostics of individual retinal layers in the living human eye. However, improved imaging resolution could aid diagnosis and monitoring of retinal diseases and identify potential new imaging biomarkers. The investigational high-resolution OCT platform (High-Res OCT; 853 nm central wavelength, 3 µm axial-resolution) has an improved axial resolution by shifting the central wavelength and increasing the light source bandwidth compared to a conventional OCT device (880 nm central wavelength, 7 µm axial-resolution). To assess the possible benefit of a higher resolution, we compared the retest reliability of retinal layer annotation from conventional and High-Res OCT, evaluated the use of High-Res OCT in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and assessed differences of both devices on subjective image quality. Thirty eyes of 30 patients with early/intermediate AMD (iAMD; mean age 75 ± 8 years) and 30 eyes of 30 age-similar subjects without macular changes (62 ± 17 years) underwent identical OCT imaging on both devices. Inter- and intra-reader reliability were analyzed for manual retinal layer annotation using EyeLab. Central OCT B-scans were graded for image quality by two graders and a mean-opinion-score (MOS) was formed and evaluated. Inter- and intra-reader reliability were higher for High-Res OCT (greatest benefit for inter-reader reliability: ganglion cell layer; for intra-reader reliability: retinal nerve fiber layer). High-Res OCT was significantly associated with an improved MOS (MOS 9/8, Z-value = 5.4,  < 0.01) mainly due to improved subjective resolution (9/7, Z-Value 6.2,  < 0.01). The retinal pigment epithelium drusen complex showed a trend towards improved retest reliability in High-Res OCT in iAMD eyes but without statistical significance. Improved axial resolution of the High-Res OCT benefits retest reliability of retinal layer annotation and improves perceived image quality and resolution. Automated image analysis algorithms could also benefit from the increased image resolution.

ArticleTotal : 2	Year
Publication title Cited by 2	2023
Publication title Cited by 8	2023

Article	Year
Quantitative Fundus Autofluorescence in Systemic Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine Therapy. Translational vision science & technology\| PubMed ID: 32934892	2020
Hyperspectral autofluorescence characterization of drusen and sub-RPE deposits in age-related macular degeneration. Annals of eye science\| PubMed ID: 33791592	2021
Quantitative Fundus Autofluorescence in the Developing and Maturing Healthy Eye. Translational vision science & technology\| PubMed ID: 34003900	2021
Correlation of in vivo/ex vivo imaging of the posterior eye segment. Der Ophthalmologe : Zeitschrift der Deutschen Ophthalmologischen Gesellschaft\| PubMed ID: 34269902	2021
Characteristics of normal human retinal pigment epithelium cells with extremes of autofluorescence or intracellular granule count. Annals of eye science\| PubMed ID: 34291192	2021
Hyperreflective Foci, Optical Coherence Tomography Progression Indicators in Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Include Transdifferentiated Retinal Pigment Epithelium. Investigative ophthalmology & visual science\| PubMed ID: 34448806	2021
Histology and clinical imaging lifecycle of black pigment in fibrosis secondary to neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Experimental eye research\| PubMed ID: 34890604	2022
Autofluorescent Organelles Within the Retinal Pigment Epithelium in Human Donor Eyes With and Without Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Investigative ophthalmology & visual science\| PubMed ID: 35050307	2022
Histologic Cell Shape Descriptors for the Retinal Pigment Epithelium in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Comparison to Unaffected Eyes. Translational vision science & technology\| PubMed ID: 35984669	2022
Spectrally resolved autofluorescence imaging in posterior uveitis. Scientific reports\| PubMed ID: 36038591	2022
Retinal Vascular Occlusion after COVID-19 Vaccination: More Coincidence than Causal Relationship? Data from a Retrospective Multicentre Study. Journal of clinical medicine\| PubMed ID: 36079030	2022
Hyper-Reflective Foci in Intermediate Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Spatial Abundance and Impact on Retinal Morphology. Investigative ophthalmology & visual science\| PubMed ID: 36705929	2023
Reliability of Retinal Layer Annotation with a Novel, High-Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography Device: A Comparative Study. Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland)\| PubMed ID: 37106625	2023

Thomas Ach

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