OCT and ANGIO-OCT in MINIHOSPITAL
For over 20 years, the field of ophthalmology has been able to benefit from a new technology that has revolutionized both the diagnosis and therapeutic approach to numerous anterior and posterior segment pathologies: Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). The continuous evolution has provided ophthalmologists with fundamental information to recognize the earliest signs of numerous eye diseases, enabling earlier and more accurate management.
The further evolution of analysis software has reached highly accurate levels, allowing the recognition of blood flow within blood vessels. This is known as Angio OCT, one of the greatest achievements in ophthalmic diagnostics, especially considering that many clinical conditions now studied using this new NON-INVASIVE technology previously required invasive tests involving intravenous injection of a dye, such as Fluorescein Angiography (FA) or Indocyanine Green (ICG) angiography.
The qualitative and quantitative study derived from the new SSADA algorithm provides essential information to ophthalmologists to manage many socially impactful vascular pathologies, such as Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma, Diabetic Retinopathy, or Vascular Occlusions. This tool is not currently available even at important hospitals in Tuscany (it is only available in some university centers).
The ability to highlight the vascular bed down to the choroid allows the ophthalmologist to accurately characterize neovascularizations, thus establishing appropriate and immediate treatment without wasting precious time with further invasive diagnostic tests.
International clinical studies have extensively confirmed the high reproducibility and repeatability of measurements of parapapillary and macular perfusion using ANGIO OCT, establishing strong correlations in terms of retinal vessel density values, both superficial and deep, as well as the extent and shape of avascular areas and choroidal flow index. All these parameters are essential for understanding complications from Diabetes Mellitus and secondary effects of occlusive episodes (retinal vascular thrombosis). Monitoring ischemic areas thus becomes more immediate and non-invasive, allowing for better patient management.
Finally, regarding Glaucoma, the latest international clinical trials indicate Angio OCT as an essential tool for very early diagnosis of the disease. Data analyzed by the instrument, such as retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFL), vertical Cup/Disc ratio (CDR), macular ganglion cell complex (mGCC), macular and papillary vascular density (VD), and focal (FLV) or global (GLV) loss volume, indeed provide specialists with crucial information for early diagnosis and improved patient follow-up.
