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| |  New Imaging Device Finds Early Signs of Retinopathy in Premature Infants DURHAM, NC -- September 21, 2009 -- Researchers have developed a new technology that uses spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT) to create a 3-D picture of the back of the eye. The device can find early signs of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). The study is published in the journal Ophthalmology. “This new tool is changing the way we identify eye conditions in infants,” said lead author Cynthia Toth, MD, Duke Eye Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina. Current screening for ROP is based on 2-dimensional images taken either with an ophthalmoscope or a camera placed directly on the infant’s cornea. “Examining the retina with these methods is like looking at the surface of the ocean and only seeing dimly into the shallow water,” said Dr. Toth. “You cannot see what lies below.” SD OCT, on the other hand, uses a narrow beam of light to create a 3-D high-resolution map of the intricate detail in the retina’s layers. “This is like looking into an aquarium from the side, where all the fish at every depth are visible,” she said. Ophthalmologists at Duke Eye Center pioneered and have been using OCT to accurately diagnose adult eyes for more than a decade, and in the past 2 years, Toth has been studying the application of this technology for retinal diseases in children. “SD OCT reveals the retina in greater detail than was ever before realised, allowing us to observe disease at almost the cellular level” said Dr. Toth. The handheld probe can snap pictures over 40 times faster than previous versions of OCT. That means multiple scans of the eye now take only seconds. It also means the portable handheld SD OCT system can be taken directly to premature infants in the incubator. “Now, for the first time, we can take the SD OCT system into the neonatal intensive care unit and hold it over the infant’s eye without touching the eye and image the retina while the infant is lying in the bed,” said Dr. Toth. “We don’t have to transport the infants out of the intensive care unit, which makes the whole process much more comfortable for them and their parents.” Dr. Toth’s next step is to determine what role the system could play in treatment decisions. “Right now we’re analysing data on more than 20 infants to identify how the SC OCT images of ROP relate to the usual examination and to decisions we make about treatment. What we hope to learn is whether what we see in the infant’s eyes today will help us to predict how their disease and vision will be in the future.” Toth says this imaging technology could also have practical applications for improving the diagnosis and treatment of babies suspected of having a wide range of retinal diseases including albinism and retinal injury. SOURCE: Duke University Medical Center
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