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18 pages, 2199 KB  
Article
Brain-Oct-Pvt: A Physics-Guided Transformer with Radial Prior and Deformable Alignment for Neurovascular Segmentation
by Quan Lan, Jianuo Huang, Chenxi Huang, Songyuan Song, Yuhao Shi, Zijun Zhao, Wenwen Wu, Hongbin Chen and Nan Liu
Bioengineering 2026, 13(3), 332; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering13030332 - 13 Mar 2026
Viewed by 486
Abstract
The primary objective of this study is to develop a specialized deep learning framework specifically adapted for the unique physical characteristics of neurovascular Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) imaging. Although Polyp-PVT, originally designed for polyp segmentation, shows promise for OCT analysis, it faces limitations [...] Read more.
The primary objective of this study is to develop a specialized deep learning framework specifically adapted for the unique physical characteristics of neurovascular Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) imaging. Although Polyp-PVT, originally designed for polyp segmentation, shows promise for OCT analysis, it faces limitations in neurovascular applications. The default RGB input wastes resources on duplicated grayscale data, while its fixed-scale fusion struggles with vascular curvature variations. Furthermore, the attention mechanism fails to capture radial vessel patterns, and geometric constraints limit thin boundary detection. To address these challenges, we propose Brain-OCT-PVT with key innovations: a single-channel input stem reducing parameters by two-thirds; a Radial Intensity Module (RIM) using polar transforms and angular convolution to model annular structures; and a Deformable Cross-scale Fusion Module (D-CFM) with learnable offsets. The Boundary-aware Attention Module (BAM) combines Laplace edge detection with Swin-Transformer for sub-pixel consistency. A specialized loss function combines Dice Similarity Coefficient (Dice), BoundaryIoU on 2-pixel dilated edges, and Focal Tversky to handle extreme class imbalance. Evaluation on 13 clinical cases achieves a Dice score of 95.06% and an 95% Hausdorff Distance (HD95) of 0.269 mm, demonstrating superior performance compared to existing approaches. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue AI-Driven Imaging and Analysis for Biomedical Applications)
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16 pages, 2347 KB  
Article
Pachychoroid-Related Pigment Epithelial Detachment Treated with Photodynamic Therapy
by Maciej Gawęcki, Karolina Mach, Krzysztof Kiciński and Andrzej Grzybowski
Biomedicines 2026, 14(3), 620; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14030620 - 10 Mar 2026
Viewed by 706
Abstract
Background: Pachychoroid pigment epitheliopathy (PPE) is a non-exudative entity within the pachychoroid disease spectrum characterized by increased choroidal thickness and isolated serous pigment epithelial detachment (PED) without subretinal fluid. Although photodynamic therapy (PDT) is established for chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC), its efficacy [...] Read more.
Background: Pachychoroid pigment epitheliopathy (PPE) is a non-exudative entity within the pachychoroid disease spectrum characterized by increased choroidal thickness and isolated serous pigment epithelial detachment (PED) without subretinal fluid. Although photodynamic therapy (PDT) is established for chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC), its efficacy in isolated pachychoroid-related PED remains insufficiently defined, with available evidence limited to small case series. Purpose: This study aims to characterize symptomatic pachychoroid-related PED and evaluate anatomical and functional outcomes following half-dose PDT (hd-PDT), with additional analysis according to lesion localization and CSC history. Methods: This retrospective study included 34 eyes of 27 patients treated with hd-PDT between June 2022 and December 2024. PEDs were categorized as central (fovea-involving) or paramacular. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography parameters—central subfield thickness (CST), mean subfield thickness (MST), macular volume (MV), subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), and PED height—were assessed at baseline, 1 month, and 6 months. Treatment planning was based on indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) findings. Statistical analyses employed non-parametric tests and generalized estimating equations. Results: Central lesions were associated with longer disease duration, worse baseline BCVA, and greater retinal thickness and PED height (p < 0.05). Complete PED resorption occurred in 79.4% of eyes at 1 month and 73.5% at 6 months (central: 86.3% and 81.8%; paramacular: 66.6% and 58.3%). Mean BCVA improved significantly from 0.22 ± 0.24 to 0.10 ± 0.16 logMAR at 6 months (p < 0.0001), with greater functional gain in central lesions. Significant reductions were observed in CST, MST, MV, and PED height, whereas SFCT remained stable. Better final BCVA correlated with younger age, shorter disease duration, smaller baseline retinal volume, smaller PDT spot size, and absence of CSC history. Non-responders had worse baseline BCVA, higher PED height, and larger treatment areas. No treatment-related complications were detected. Conclusions: Half-dose PDT was associated with favorable anatomical and functional outcomes in symptomatic pachychoroid-related PED, particularly in centrally located lesions. Baseline disease severity appeared to influence treatment response. Prospective studies with longer follow-up are warranted to confirm long-term efficacy and safety. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photodynamic Therapy (4th Edition))
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13 pages, 559 KB  
Article
Contrast Sensitivity and Colour Vision Tests for Early Detection and Monitoring of Hydroxychloroquine Retinal Toxicity: A Preliminary Study
by Amal Aldarwesh, Latifah Alwadman, Ali Almustanyir, Mosaad Alhassan, Muhammed S. Alluwimi, Ansam Alateeq and Ibrahim Almaghlouth
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(3), 1309; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15031309 - 6 Feb 2026
Viewed by 552
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is used to manage various autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus. The prolonged use of HCQ is associated with retinopathy and irreversible visual loss due to retinal toxicity. Despite adherence to dosage regimens, patients may develop functional rather than [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is used to manage various autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus. The prolonged use of HCQ is associated with retinopathy and irreversible visual loss due to retinal toxicity. Despite adherence to dosage regimens, patients may develop functional rather than structural changes, without detectable abnormalities on routine examination using visual acuity and optical coherence tomography (OCT). The study aimed to detect early signs of retinopathy in patients with autoimmune diseases treated with HCQ. Methods: This cross-sectional study included patients (n = 36) with autoimmune diseases who were treated with HCQ. The control group (n = 35) comprised healthy volunteers matched for age and sex. All participants were screened using colour vision tests (Ishihara, Konan ColourDX high definition [HD]), and retinal thickness was evaluated using OCT. Results: Our findings suggest a significant reduction in the contrast threshold of the L and M-cone photoreceptors compared with that of the control using Konan ColourDX HD. The OCT measurements revealed no statistically significant difference in retinal thickness between patients and controls; however, the contrast sensitivity test showed a significant reduction at all spatial frequencies (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The current study suggests that the Konan ColourDX cone contrast test HD and contrast sensitivity testing may be valuable for periodic monitoring of patients receiving HCQ, potentially enabling earlier detection of toxicity. However, longitudinal studies with larger cohorts are needed to confirm these findings and to further establish the clinical value of these functional visual tests. Full article
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24 pages, 2918 KB  
Article
Quantifying Explainability in OCT Segmentation of Macular Holes and Cysts: A SHAP-Based Coverage and Factor Contribution Analysis
by İlknur Tuncer Fırat, Murat Fırat and Taner Tuncer
Diagnostics 2026, 16(1), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16010097 - 27 Dec 2025
Viewed by 595
Abstract
Background: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can quantify the morphology and dimensions of a macular hole for diagnosis and treatment planning. Objective: The aim of this study was to perform automatic segmentation of macular holes (MHs) and cysts from OCT macular volumes using [...] Read more.
Background: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can quantify the morphology and dimensions of a macular hole for diagnosis and treatment planning. Objective: The aim of this study was to perform automatic segmentation of macular holes (MHs) and cysts from OCT macular volumes using a deep learning-based model and to quantitatively evaluate decision reliability using the model’s focus regions and GradientSHAP-based explainability. Methods: In this study, we automatically segmented MHs and cysts in OCT images from the open-access OIMHS dataset. The dataset comprises 125 eyes from 119 patients and 3859 OCT B-scans. OCT B-scan slices were input to a UNet-48-based model with a 2.5D stacking strategy. Performance was evaluated using Dice and intersection-over-union (IoU), boundary accuracy was evaluated using the 95th-percentile Hausdorff distance (HD95), and calibration was evaluated using the expected calibration error (ECE). Explainability was quantified from GradientSHAP maps using lesion coverage and spatial focus metrics: Attribution Precision in Lesion (APILτ), which is the proportion of attributions (SHAP contributions) falling inside the lesion; Attribution Recall in Lesion (ARILτ), which is the proportion of the true lesion covered by the attributions; and leakage (Leakτ = 1 − APILτ), which is the proportion of attributions falling outside the lesion. Spatial focus was monitored using the center-of-mass distance (COM-dist), which is the Euclidean distance between the attribution center and the segmentation center. All metrics were calculated using the top τ% of the pixels with the highest SHAP values. SHAP features were clustered using PCA and k-means. Explanations were calculated using the clinical mask in ground truth (GT) mode and the model segmentation in prediction (Pred) mode. Results: The Dice/IoU values for holes and cysts were 0.94/0.91 and 0.87/0.81, respectively. Across lesion classes, HD95 = 6 px and ECE = 0.008, indicating good boundary accuracy and calibration. In GT mode (τ = 20), three regimes were observed: (i) retina-dominant: high ARIL (hole: 0.659; cyst: 0.654), high Leak (hole: 0.983; cyst: 0.988), and low COM-dist (hole: 7.84 px; cyst: 6.91 px), with the focus lying within the retina and largely confined to the retinal tissue; (ii) peri-lesional: highest ARIL (hole: 0.684; cyst: 0.719), relatively lower Leak (hole: 0.917; cyst: 0.940), and medium/high COM-dist (hole: 16.22 px; cyst: 10.17 px), with the focus located around the lesion; (iii) narrow-coverage: primarily seen for cysts in GT mode (ARIL: 0.494; Leak: 1.000; COM-dist: 52.02 px), with markedly reduced coverage. In Pred mode, the ARIL20 for holes increased in the retina-dominant cluster (0.758) and COM-dist decreased (6.24 px), indicating better agreement with the model segmentation. Conclusions: The model exhibited high accuracy and good calibration for MH and cyst segmentation in OCT images. Quantitative characterization of SHAP validated the model results. In the clinic, peri-lesion and narrow-coverage conditions are the key situations that require careful interpretation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Topic Machine Learning and Deep Learning in Medical Imaging)
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13 pages, 3572 KB  
Article
Diagnostic Performance of Ring Aperture Retro Mode Imaging for Detecting Pigment Migration in Age-Related Macular Degeneration
by Thomas Desmettre, Gerardo Ledesma-Gil and Michel Paques
Diagnostics 2026, 16(1), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16010042 - 23 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 527
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Pigment migration is a key biomarker of progression in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This study assessed the diagnostic performance of ring aperture Retro mode (RAR) imaging for detecting pigment migration and compared its performance with established multimodal imaging techniques. Methods: [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Pigment migration is a key biomarker of progression in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This study assessed the diagnostic performance of ring aperture Retro mode (RAR) imaging for detecting pigment migration and compared its performance with established multimodal imaging techniques. Methods: This retrospective study included 80 eyes from 61 consecutive patients with AMD who underwent multimodal imaging with color fundus images (CFIs), fundus autofluorescence (FAF), RAR imaging (Mirante, NIDEK), and en face optical coherence tomography (OCT) with B-scans (Cirrus HD-OCT 5000, Zeiss). Two independent retina specialists graded the AMD stage and the presence of pigment migration across modalities. Sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) of RAR were calculated using en face OCT as the reference standard. Results: RAR demonstrated high diagnostic performance, with a sensitivity of 94.7% and a PPV of 93.4% relative to en face OCT. RAR frequently identified pigment migration that was not visible on CFI or FAF, particularly in early AMD and in eyes with media opacity. Distinct morphologic patterns—including hyperreflective foci, thickened retinal pigment epithelium, refractile drusen, and cuticular drusen—were consistently identifiable on RAR. In four eyes with geographic atrophy, RAR detected perifoveal pigment redistribution at least six months before foveal involvement was confirmed by OCT and FAF. Conclusions: RAR imaging is a rapid, sensitive, and clinically practical technique for detecting pigment migration in AMD. By complementing en face OCT and enhancing visualization in cases where standard imaging is limited, RAR may strengthen early disease surveillance, support prognostic assessment, and improve multimodal diagnostic workflows in routine practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Management of Ophthalmic Disorders)
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18 pages, 4231 KB  
Article
Atrazine Induces Reproductive Toxicity in an In Vitro Spermatogenesis (IVS) Model
by Monsikan Chaiyakit, Rangsun Parnpai and In K. Cho
Biomedicines 2025, 13(12), 2917; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13122917 - 28 Nov 2025
Viewed by 924
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Atrazine (ATZ) is a widely used herbicide, and most studies of its reproductive toxicity have been conducted in vivo using animal models, where ATZ disrupts redox homeostasis, leading to male reproductive dysfunction. However, its molecular mechanisms of action in human spermatogenic cells [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Atrazine (ATZ) is a widely used herbicide, and most studies of its reproductive toxicity have been conducted in vivo using animal models, where ATZ disrupts redox homeostasis, leading to male reproductive dysfunction. However, its molecular mechanisms of action in human spermatogenic cells remain poorly understood. Huntington’s disease (HD), an autosomal dominant disorder caused by abnormal CAG repeat expansion in the HTT gene, exhibits heightened oxidative stress sensitivity and mitochondrial dysfunction, which may further impair reproductive function. This study investigated ATZ effects on human spermatogenesis using an in vitro spermatogenesis (IVS) model derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), focusing on Nrf2-mediated oxidative responses and apoptotic regulation during spermatogonial stem cell-like cell (SSCLC) differentiation in wild-type (WT) and HD hiPSC lines. Methods: Two WT and two HD hiPSC lines carrying 44 (HD1) and 180 (HD2) CAG repeats were treated with ATZ (0, 0.01, 1, or 10 μM) for 30 days, followed by differentiation into SSCLCs for 15 days under continuous exposure. Expression of pluripotency (OCT4, SOX2), oxidative stress (NFE2L2, SOD1, GPX1, NQO1), cell cycle (CDK1), apoptosis (BCL2, BAX, CASP3, CASP9, FAS, FASLG), and spermatogenic markers (DAZL, ZBTB16, GFRA1, PIWIL2) were assessed by immunocytochemistry and qRT-PCR. Results: Long-term ATZ exposure affected pluripotency markers in hiPSCs and SSCLC differentiation in a cell line–dependent manner. WT cells exhibited early differentiation suppression without significant apoptosis. HD1 cells were highly sensitive: low ATZ doses (0.01–1 μM) partially activated intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways, whereas high-dose ATZ (10 μM) reduced Nrf2-target and spermatogenic gene expression, strongly impairing SSCLC maturation. HD2 cells showed pronounced oxidative stress with robust Nrf2-driven antioxidant responses and BCL2 that supported differentiation at low doses. However, excessive oxidative or proliferative signaling, including CDK1 upregulation at high ATZ concentrations, disrupted redox balance and SSCLC differentiation in HD2 cells. Conclusions: ATZ exerts dose- and genotype-dependent effects on IVS through coordinated regulation of oxidative stress and apoptosis. These findings highlight the interplay between Nrf2-mediated antioxidant defenses, apoptotic signaling, and genetic background in shaping spermatogenic outcomes, providing mechanistic insight into ATZ-induced reproductive toxicity in a human-relevant in vitro spermatogenesis model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Regulation of Spermatozoa—Second Edition)
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15 pages, 1997 KB  
Article
Longitudinal Ellipsoid Zone Dynamics During Hydroxychloroquine Use
by Karen Matar, Katherine E. Talcott, Obinna Ugwuegbu, Ming Hu, Sunil K. Srivastava, Jamie L. Reese and Justis P. Ehlers
J. Pers. Med. 2025, 15(9), 416; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm15090416 - 2 Sep 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1027
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) retinopathy can be underrecognized early, as structural changes in OCT may precede symptoms and are often subtle. Early detection is crucial to prevent irreversible damage. This study evaluated longitudinal OCT changes preceding overt HCQ toxicity using ellipsoid zone (EZ) [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) retinopathy can be underrecognized early, as structural changes in OCT may precede symptoms and are often subtle. Early detection is crucial to prevent irreversible damage. This study evaluated longitudinal OCT changes preceding overt HCQ toxicity using ellipsoid zone (EZ) mapping. Methods: Patients on long-term HCQ underwent two macular cube scans at least one year apart using Cirrus HD-OCT. Scans were analyzed with an EZ-mapping platform and manually validated. Patients with baseline OCT signs of toxicity or co-existing macular disease were excluded based on masked expert review. Results: Three hundred and seventy-three eyes of 373 patients were included. The mean age was 57.0 ± 12.6 years, the mean HCQ dose was 379.4 ± 59.4 mg, the treatment duration was 5.6 ± 3.7 years, and the OCT interval was 3.1 ± 0.9 years. Outer retinal metrics remained stable across the cohort. The mean en face EZ attenuation increased from 3.3% to 3.9% (p = 0.24). Thirty-four eyes (9.1%) experienced an absolute increase of ≥4% (~1.5 mm2) in EZ attenuation. This increase was significantly associated with age at HCQ initiation (p < 0.001), age at the time of the first and second OCT (p < 0.001), and baseline visual acuity (p = 0.01), and demonstrated changes in other outer retinal metrics (p < 0.01). Only 3/34 eyes (8.9%) were diagnosed by the managing clinician with HCQ toxicity at the time of the second OCT. However, 26 of these eyes (76.5%) had signs of HCQ toxicity by expert review, suggesting the overall greater sensitivity of these quantitative outer retinal metrics for detecting toxicity compared with clinician review. Conclusions: Longitudinal OCT assessment revealed overall stability in outer retinal metrics in eyes on HCQ, but a subset showed increased EZ attenuation, which correlated with age at the time of HCQ initiation, baseline visual acuity, and expert OCT review. These changes may help identify at-risk eyes and eyes with early toxicity and warrant further validation as potential screening biomarkers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Retinal Diseases: Mechanisms, Diagnosis and Treatments)
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11 pages, 411 KB  
Article
HD-OCT Angiography and SD-OCT in Patients with Mild or No Clinically Apparent Diabetic Retinopathy
by Maja Vinković, Andrijana Kopić, Tvrtka Benašić, Dubravka Biuk, Ivanka Maduna and Stela Vujosevic
Biomedicines 2025, 13(5), 1251; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13051251 - 20 May 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1550
Abstract
Purpose: To analyze the retinal and choriocapillaris changes in diabetic patients with no or with early signs of diabetic retinopathy using high-definition (HD) angio optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) software and spectral-domain (SD) OCT. Methods: A total of 112 eyes (54 eyes from [...] Read more.
Purpose: To analyze the retinal and choriocapillaris changes in diabetic patients with no or with early signs of diabetic retinopathy using high-definition (HD) angio optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) software and spectral-domain (SD) OCT. Methods: A total of 112 eyes (54 eyes from 27 diabetic patients and 58 eyes from 29 control subjects) were included in this retrospective cross-sectional study of healthy and diabetic adults. Retinal microvascular changes were assessed by using HD-OCTA software to calculate vascular density (VD) and foveal avascular zone (FAZ). SD-OCT was used to assess retinal thickness and volume in parafovea as well as ganglion cell complex (GCC) parameters. Results: The VD-whole image was significantly higher in the healthy control group (MW z = 1109.5, p = 0.012; t = 2.611, p = 0.010). Also, VD-parafovea was significantly higher in the healthy subjects (MW z = 1053.5, p = 0.004; t = 3.207, p = 0.002). GCC focal loss volume (FLV) was significantly decreased in diabetic patients (p = 0.051). Non-flow FAZ did not show a statistically significant difference between groups, although the FAZ was larger in the diabetic patients. Conclusions: Diabetic patients with no or early signs of diabetic retinopathy have decreased VD compared to healthy individuals. They also present retinal changes at the GCC that are correlated with initial neurodegeneration. HD-OCTA and SD-OCT can detect vascular changes and structural signs of retinal neurodegeneration before clinically apparent diabetic retinopathy. Potentially, these methods may offer new biomarkers for monitoring disease progression and visual prognosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Issues in Retinal Degeneration)
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18 pages, 16173 KB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of Deep Learning Architectures for Macular Hole Segmentation in OCT Images: A Performance Evaluation of U-Net Variants
by H. M. S. S. Herath, S. L. P. Yasakethu, Nuwan Madusanka, Myunggi Yi and Byeong-Il Lee
J. Imaging 2025, 11(2), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/jimaging11020053 - 11 Feb 2025
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4606
Abstract
This study presents a comprehensive comparison of U-Net variants with different backbone architectures for Macular Hole (MH) segmentation in optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. We evaluated eleven architectures, including U-Net combined with InceptionNetV4, VGG16, VGG19, ResNet152, DenseNet121, EfficientNet-B7, MobileNetV2, Xception, and Transformer. Models [...] Read more.
This study presents a comprehensive comparison of U-Net variants with different backbone architectures for Macular Hole (MH) segmentation in optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. We evaluated eleven architectures, including U-Net combined with InceptionNetV4, VGG16, VGG19, ResNet152, DenseNet121, EfficientNet-B7, MobileNetV2, Xception, and Transformer. Models were assessed using the Dice coefficient and HD95 metrics on the OIMHS dataset. While HD95 proved unreliable for small regions like MH, often returning ‘nan’ values, the Dice coefficient provided consistent performance evaluation. InceptionNetV4 + U-Net achieved the highest Dice coefficient (0.9672), demonstrating superior segmentation accuracy. Although considered state-of-the-art, Transformer + U-Net showed poor performance in MH and intraretinal cyst (IRC) segmentation. Analysis of computational resources revealed that MobileNetV2 + U-Net offered the most efficient performance with minimal parameters, while InceptionNetV4 + U-Net balanced accuracy with moderate computational demands. Our findings suggest that CNN-based backbones, particularly InceptionNetV4, are more effective than Transformer architectures for OCT image segmentation, with InceptionNetV4 + U-Net emerging as the most promising model for clinical applications. Full article
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13 pages, 674 KB  
Review
Optical Coherence Tomography in Huntington's Disease—A Potential Future Biomarker for Neurodegeneration?
by Clancy Cerejo, Nicolas De Cleene, Elias Mandler, Katarina Schwarzová, Samuel Labrecque, Philipp Mahlknecht, Florian Krismer, Atbin Djamshidian, Klaus Seppi and Beatrice Heim
Neurol. Int. 2025, 17(1), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/neurolint17010013 - 20 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1959
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder for which, until now, only symptomatic treatment has been available. Lately, there have been multiple ongoing clinical trials targeting therapeutic agents for preventing disease onset or slowing disease progression in HD. These studies are in [...] Read more.
Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder for which, until now, only symptomatic treatment has been available. Lately, there have been multiple ongoing clinical trials targeting therapeutic agents for preventing disease onset or slowing disease progression in HD. These studies are in constant need of reliable biomarkers for neurodegeneration in HD. In recent years, retinal biomarkers have attracted significant attention in neurodegenerative disorders. Likewise, optical coherence tomography (OCT) is being evaluated as a potential biomarker in HD. In this article, we review the existing literature on OCT as a biomarker for neurodegeneration in HD. Full article
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17 pages, 5112 KB  
Article
Clinical Performance of Semi-Automated Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography
by A. Yasin Alibhai, Mary K. Durbin, Huiyuan Hou, Srinivas R. Sadda, Dennis M. Marcus, Timothy T. You, Nevin W. El-Nimri, Lukas Huebschmann and Nadia K. Waheed
J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13(21), 6301; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13216301 - 22 Oct 2024
Viewed by 2248
Abstract
Background/Objectives: To evaluate the clinical performance of two optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) devices, including a semi-automated device, with respect to image quality and pathology detection, with fluorescein angiography (FA) and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) serving as the reference standards. Methods: [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: To evaluate the clinical performance of two optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) devices, including a semi-automated device, with respect to image quality and pathology detection, with fluorescein angiography (FA) and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) serving as the reference standards. Methods: In this prospective cross-sectional study, normal eyes and those with various retinal and choroidal pathologies were enrolled and underwent OCTA scanning using semi-automated 3D OCT-1 Maestro2 and Cirrus™ HD-OCT 5000 devices, as well as FA/ICGA imaging. OCTA scans and FA/ICGA images were independently graded for image quality and the visibility of prespecified anatomic vascular features, along with the presence or absence of pathology on the OCTA scans and the FA/ICGA images (within regions corresponding to the OCTA scan areas). Positive percent agreement (PPA), defined as the proportion of eyes in which the OCTA demonstrated pathology when the corresponding FA/ICGA showed pathology, and negative percent agreement (NPA), defined as the proportion of eyes in which the OCTA showed no pathology when the FA/ICGA also showed no pathology, were calculated. Results: In total, 38 normal eyes and 86 pathologic eyes were enrolled in the study. The majority of images for both devices were considered clinically useful. The PPA and NPA were high for both devices, indicating a good ability to identify disease when present and to rule it out when not present. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that the semi-automated Maestro2 and Cirrus have comparably good clinical performance, particularly with regard to accuracy when identifying vascular pathologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Ophthalmology)
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11 pages, 2582 KB  
Article
Investigation of the Reproducibility of Portable Optical Coherence Tomography in Diabetic Macular Edema
by Yoshiaki Chiku, Takao Hirano, Marie Nakamura, Yoshiaki Takahashi, Hideki Miyasaka, Ken Hoshiyama and Toshinori Murata
Pharmaceuticals 2024, 17(10), 1357; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17101357 - 11 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4084
Abstract
Background: Diabetic macular edema (DME) causes vision impairment and significant vision loss. Portable optical coherence tomography (OCT) has the potential to enhance the accessibility and frequency of DME screening, facilitating early diagnosis and continuous monitoring. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability of [...] Read more.
Background: Diabetic macular edema (DME) causes vision impairment and significant vision loss. Portable optical coherence tomography (OCT) has the potential to enhance the accessibility and frequency of DME screening, facilitating early diagnosis and continuous monitoring. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability of a portable OCT device (ACT100) in assessing DME compared with a traditional stationary OCT device (Cirrus 5000 HD-OCT plus). Methods: This prospective clinical investigation included 40 eyes of 33 patients with DME. Participants with significant refractive errors (myopia > −6.0 diopters or hyperopia > +3.0 diopters), vitreous hemorrhage, tractional retinal detachment, or other ocular diseases affecting imaging were excluded. Spectral-domain OCT was performed by a single examiner using both devices to capture macular volume scans under mydriasis. Central macular thickness (CMT) was evaluated using the analysis software for each device: Cirrus used version 6.0.4, and ACT100 used version V20. We analyzed inter-evaluator and inter-instrument agreements for qualitative assessments of the intraretinal fluid (IRF), subretinal fluid (SRF), and epiretinal membrane (ERM) using Cohen’s kappa coefficient, whereas quantitative CMT assessments were correlated using Spearman’s correlation coefficient. Results: Substantial inter-evaluator agreement for IRF/SRF (κ = 0.801) and ERM (κ = 0.688) with ACT100 and inter-instrument agreement (κ = 0.756 for IRF/SRF, κ = 0.684 for ERM) were observed. CMT values measured using ACT100 were on average 29.6 μm lower than that of Cirrus (285.8 ± 56.6 vs. 315.4 ± 84.7 μm, p < 0.0001) but showed a strong correlation (R = 0.76, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: ACT100 portable OCT demonstrated high reliability for DME evaluations, comparable to that of stationary systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacotherapy for Macular Diseases 2024)
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11 pages, 11038 KB  
Article
Prediction of the Cause of Glaucoma Disease Identified by Glaucoma Optical Coherence Tomography Test in Relation to Diabetes and Hypertension at a National Hospital in Seoul: A Retrospective Study
by Sun Jung Lee, Jae-Sik Jeon, Ji-Hyuk Kang and Jae Kyung Kim
Diagnostics 2024, 14(13), 1418; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14131418 - 3 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2253
Abstract
Glaucoma remains the primary cause of long-term blindness. While diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) are known to influence glaucoma, other factors such as age and sex may be involved. In this retrospective study, we aimed to investigate the associations between age, sex, [...] Read more.
Glaucoma remains the primary cause of long-term blindness. While diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) are known to influence glaucoma, other factors such as age and sex may be involved. In this retrospective study, we aimed to investigate the associations between age, sex, DM, HTN, and glaucoma risk. We employed optical coherence tomography (OCT) conducted using a 200 × 200-pixel optic cube (Cirrus HD OCT 6000, version 10.0; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA, USA). Effects obscured by low-test signals were disregarded. Data were amassed from 1337 patients. Among them, 218 and 402 patients had DM and HTN, respectively, with 133 (10%) exhibiting both. A sex-based comparison revealed slightly greater retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness in females. Patients without DM and HTN were predominantly in their 50 s and 60 s, whereas DM and HTN were most prevalent in those in their 60 s and 70 s. Both RNFL and GCIPL thicknesses decreased with advancing age in most patients. The study revealed that older individuals were more prone to glaucoma than younger individuals, with a higher incidence among patients with DM and HTN and reduced RNFL and GCIPL thicknesses. Furthermore, early detection before advancing age could furnish valuable preventive insights. Full article
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13 pages, 290 KB  
Article
The Impact of a Single Haemodialysis Session on the Retinal Thickness and Optic Nerve Morphology
by Joanna Roskal-Wałek, Joanna Gołębiewska, Jerzy Mackiewicz, Agnieszka Bociek, Paweł Wałek, Michał Biskup, Kamila Bołtuć-Dziugieł, Katarzyna Starzyk, Dominik Odrobina, Beata Wożakowska-Kapłon and Andrzej Jaroszyński
Diagnostics 2024, 14(3), 331; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14030331 - 3 Feb 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1910
Abstract
Background: The aim of the study was to assess the influence of a single haemodialysis (HD) session on the retinal and optic nerve morphology in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients. Methods: It is a prospective study including only the right eye of 35 [...] Read more.
Background: The aim of the study was to assess the influence of a single haemodialysis (HD) session on the retinal and optic nerve morphology in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients. Methods: It is a prospective study including only the right eye of 35 chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients subjected to HD. Each patient underwent a full eye examination 30 min before HD (8 a.m.) and 15 min after HD. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used to assess the peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (pRNFL) thickness, macular nerve fibre layer (mRNFL) thickness, ganglion cell layer with inner plexiform layer thickness (GCL+), GCL++ (mRNFL and GCL+) thickness, total retinal thickness (RT) and total macular volume (TMV). The correlation was tested between such systemic parameters changes as systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), body weight, plasma osmolarity and ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) and ultrafiltration volume with total RT and pRNFL thickness changes during HD. Results: In the results of a single HD session, we could observe a statistically significant increase in the total RT thickness (pre-HD 270.4 ± 19.94 μm, post-HD 272.14 ± 20.11 μm; p = 0.0014), TMV (pre-HD 7.48 ± 0.53 mm3, post-HD 7.52 ± 0.55 mm3; p = 0.0006), total pRNFL thickness (pre-HD 97.46 ± 15.71 μm, post-HD 100.23 ± 14.7 μm; p = 0.0039), total GCL+ thickness (pre-HD 70.11 ± 9.24 μm, post-HD 70.6 ± 9.7 μm; p = 0.0044), and GCL++ thickness (pre-HD 97.46 ± 12.56 μm, post-HD 97.9 ± 12.94 μm; p = 0.0081). We observed a significant correlation between the change in total RT and DBP change, as well as between body weight change and the change in total pRNFL thickness. There was also a correlation between total pRNFL thickness change and the presence of diabetes mellitus. Conclusion: Even a single HD session affects the retinal and pRNFL thickness, which should be taken into account when interpreting the OCT results in patients subjected to HD. The impact of changes after a single HD session on selected parameters requires further assessment in subsequent studies, including long-term observation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Management of Retinopathy)
29 pages, 408 KB  
Review
The Haemodialysis Session Effect on the Choroidal Thickness and Retinal and Choroidal Microcirculation—A Literature Review
by Joanna Roskal-Wałek, Joanna Gołębiewska, Jerzy Mackiewicz, Paweł Wałek, Agnieszka Bociek, Michał Biskup, Dominik Odrobina and Andrzej Jaroszyński
J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12(24), 7729; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12247729 - 16 Dec 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2577
Abstract
Haemodialysis (HD) is currently the most commonly used method of renal replacement therapy. The process of dialysis involves numerous changes that affect many systems, including the eye. The changes occurring in the course of HD may affect the ocular parameters, such as intraocular [...] Read more.
Haemodialysis (HD) is currently the most commonly used method of renal replacement therapy. The process of dialysis involves numerous changes that affect many systems, including the eye. The changes occurring in the course of HD may affect the ocular parameters, such as intraocular pressure, central corneal thickness, retinal thickness, retinal nerve fibre layer thickness, and choroidal thickness (CT). The choroid, being one of the most vascularized tissues, is characterized by the highest ratio of blood flow to tissue volume in the entire body, may be particularly susceptible to changes occurring during HD, and at the same time reflect the microcirculatory status and its response to HD. Patients with end-stage renal disease subjected to dialysis are highly susceptible to systemic microvascular dysfunction. Moreover, it is considered that the process of HD itself contributes to vascular dysfunction. Nowadays, thanks to the development of imaging techniques, the widely available optical coherence tomography (OCT) tests allow for the assessment of CT, while OCT-angiography allows for a quick, non-invasive, and repeatable assessment of the condition of retinal and choroidal microcirculation, which significantly expands our knowledge regarding the reaction of ocular microcirculation due to HD. The assessment of both retinal and choroidal circulation is even more attractive because retinal circulation is autoregulated, while choroidal circulation is mainly controlled by extrinsic autonomic innervation. Thus, assessment of the choroidal response to an HD session may provide the possibility to indirectly evaluate the functions of the autonomic system in patients subjected to HD. At a time when the importance of microcirculation in systemic and renal diseases is becoming increasingly evident, the assessment of ocular microcirculation appears to be a potential biomarker for assessing the condition of systemic microcirculation. In this work, we present a review of the literature on the effect of the HD session on CT and the retinal and choroidal microcirculation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Collection Ocular Manifestations of Systemic Diseases)
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