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Clinical validation of fully 3-D versus 2.5-D RAMLA reconstruction on the Philips-ADAC CPET PET scanner.

INTRODUCTION: Fully three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction algorithms have the potential to better utilize PET data acquired in true 3-D acquisition modes, as compared to 2-D approaches involving data reduction through rebinning procedures followed by a 2-D or 2.5-D reconstruction. Our previous studies, involving simulated and real phantom data from PET scanners working purely in 3-D acquisition mode, showed that the fully 3-D reconstruction approaches bring appreciable improvement on physical measures and visual image quality as well. Reconstruction procedures utilized in those studies were based upon the row action maximum likelihood algorithm (RAMLA) implemented on our clinical scanners. The purpose of this study was to investigate if the fully 3-D RAMLA reconstruction software brings an appreciable improvement in clinical image quality and reader confidence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety patient scans acquired on the Philips CPET scanner at our institution were reconstructed using 2.5-D RAMLA and 3-D RAMLA with differing reconstruction parameters. These scans were blindly presented to four experienced PET scan readers who graded various aspects of image quality. RESULTS: Our study concluded that 3-D RAMLA on the CPET scanner reduces artifacts and image noise and improves clinical confidence in interpreting PET images. CONCLUSION: This study led to the routine use of 3-D RAMLA reconstruction on the CPET scanner at our institution.

Algorithms↗

The mechanism of decrease in dynamic mitral regurgitation during heart failure treatment: importance of reduction in the regurgitant orifice size.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to quantify and characterize the regurgitant flow pattern and regurgitant orifice area in patients undergoing therapy for severe heart failure using contemporary echocardiographic techniques. BACKGROUND: Mitral regurgitation may be dynamic in patients with heart failure and ultimately correlate with outcome in a group of patients. METHODS: Fourteen patients with severe heart failure felt to require hemodynamic monitoring for the optimization of medical therapy were enrolled. Two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiograms were performed before and following invasively guided therapy. Hemodynamics and standard echocardiographic dimensions were determined as well as regurgitant volume and regurgitant orifice area derived from color M-mode and Doppler measurements. RESULTS: Invasively guided therapy for heart failure was associated with a reduction in weight, filling pressures of the left and right heart, systemic vascular resistance, and echocardiographic left atrial, left ventricular and mitral annular dimensions. The mitral regurgitant volume decreased from 47+/-27 ml before therapy to 14+/-14 ml after therapy; p < 0.001. While therapy for heart failure markedly attenuated the volume of regurgitation, the pattern of regurgitant flow across the mitral valve was not significantly altered. In contrast, there was no difference in the velocity time integral of the continuous-wave Doppler spectra of mitral regurgitation with therapy (128+/-23 cm to 123+/-25 cm, p = 0.23). In all patients, the regurgitant orifice area decreased with therapy from 0.55+/-0.38 cm2 to 0.21+/-0.20 cm2 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacologic reduction in filling pressure and systemic vascular resistance leads to a reduction in the dynamic mitral regurgitation of heart failure through a reduction in the regurgitant orifice area but not through a change in the gradient across the mitral valve. Reduction of the regurgitant orifice area is likely related to decreased left ventricular volumes and decreased annular distention.

Echocardiography, Doppler↗

Pulmonary function following adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy for breast cancer and the issue of three-dimensional treatment planning.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The frequency and grade of pulmonary complications following adjuvant radiotherapy for breast cancer are still debated. This study focuses on loss of pulmonary function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have measured the reduction of pulmonary function 5 months following radiotherapy in 144 node-positive stage II breast cancer patients by using pulmonary function tests. RESULTS: No deterioration of pulmonary function was detected among the patients who were treated with local radiotherapy. On the contrary, there was a mean increase in diffusion capacity by 7% (P = 0.004) following radiotherapy, which most likely was explained by the adjuvant chemotherapy administered prior to the baseline pulmonary function tests. Patients undergoing loco-regional radiotherapy showed a mean reduction in diffusion capacity by 5% (P < 0.001) and in vital capacity by 3% (P = 0.001). The subset of patients (9%) who were diagnosed with severe pulmonary complications needing cortisone treatment had significantly larger mean paired differences in vital capacity (-0.446 L, -15% (equivalent to 15 years of normal ageing or the loss of 3/4 of a lung lobe)) compared to the patients who were asymptomatic (-0.084 L) (P < 0.05). When the effects of potential confounding factors and different radiotherapy techniques were tested on the reduction of pulmonary function by stepwise multiple regression analysis, a significant correlation was found only to locoregional radiotherapy including the lower internal mammary lymph nodes. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that a clinically important reduction of pulmonary function is seen in the subset of patients who are diagnosed with severe pulmonary complication following loco-regional radiotherapy for breast cancer. The results of this study warrant further studies based on individual lung dose volume histograms.

Adult↗

The three-dimensional structures of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis dihydrodipicolinate reductase-NADH-2,6-PDC and -NADPH-2,6-PDC complexes. Structural and mutagenic analysis of relaxed nucleotide specificity.

Dihydrodipicolinate reductase (DHPR) catalyzes the reduced pyridine nucleotide-dependent reduction of the alpha,beta-unsaturated cyclic imine, dihydrodipicolinate, to generate tetrahydrodipicolinate. This enzyme catalyzes the second step in the bacterial biosynthetic pathway that generates meso-diaminopimelate, a component of bacterial cell walls, and the amino acid L-lysine. The Mycobacterium tuberculosis dapB-encoded DHPR has been cloned, expressed, purified, and crystallized in two ternary complexes with NADH or NADPH and the inhibitor 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylate (2,6-PDC). The structures have been solved using molecular replacement strategies, and the DHPR-NADH-2,6-PDC and DHPR-NADPH-2,6-PDC complexes have been refined against data to 2.3 and 2.5 A, respectively. The M. tuberculosis DHPR is a tetramer of identical subunits, with each subunit composed of two domains connected by two flexible hinge regions. The N-terminal domain binds pyridine nucleotide, while the C-terminal domain is involved in both tetramer formation and substrate/inhibitor binding. The M. tuberculosis DHPR uses NADH and NADPH with nearly equal efficiency based on V/K values. To probe the nature of this substrate specificity, we have generated two mutants, K9A and K11A, residues that are close to the 2'-phosphate of NADPH. These two mutants exhibit decreased specificity for NADPH by factors of 6- and 30-fold, respectively, but the K11A mutant exhibits 270% of WT activity using NADH. The highly conserved structure of the nucleotide fold may permit other enzyme's nucleotide specificity to be altered using similar mutagenic strategies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Improved image quality and computation reduction in 4-D reconstruction of cardiac-gated SPECT images.

Spatiotemporal reconstruction of cardiac-gated SPECT images permits us to obtain valuable information related to cardiac function. However, the task of reconstructing this four-dimensional (4-D) data set is computation intensive. Typically, these studies are reconstructed frame-by-frame: a nonoptimal approach because temporal correlations in the signal are not accounted for. In this work, we show that the compression and signal decorrelation properties of the Karhunen-Loève (KL) transform may be used to greatly simplify the spatiotemporal reconstruction problem. The gated projections are first KL transformed in the temporal direction. This results in a sequence of KL-transformed projection images for which the signal components are uncorrelated along the time axis. As a result, the 4-D reconstruction task is simplified to a series of three-dimensional (3-D) reconstructions in the KL domain. The reconstructed KL components are subsequently inverse KL transformed to obtain the entire spatiotemporal reconstruction set. Our simulation and clinical results indicate that KL processing provides image sequences that are less noisy than are conventional frame-by-frame reconstructions. Additionally, by discarding high-order KL components that are dominated by noise, we can achieve savings in computation time because fewer reconstructions are needed in comparison to conventional frame-by-frame reconstructions.

Algorithms↗

Comparison of the diagnostic performance of FDG-PET and VBM-MRI in very mild Alzheimer's disease.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of( 18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the same group of patients with very mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: Thirty patients with very mild AD (age 67.0+/-5.8 years; MMSE score 25.5+/-1.2, range 24-28), 32 patients with mild AD (age 67.0+/-4.5 years, MMSE score 22.1+/-0.8, range 21-23) and 60 age- and sex-matched normal volunteers underwent both FDG-PET and three-dimensional spoiled gradient echo MRI. Statistical parametric mapping was used to conduct voxel by voxel analysis and Z score mapping. First, the region of interest (ROI) maps of significant reductions in glucose metabolism and grey matter density in the mild AD patients were defined. Secondly, analysis of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for Z scores in the ROI maps discriminating very mild AD patients and normal controls was performed. RESULTS: In mild AD patients, FDG-PET indicated significant reductions in glucose metabolism in the bilateral posterior cingulate gyri and the right parietotemporal area, while VBM analysis showed a significant decrease in grey matter volume density in the bilateral amygdala/hippocampus complex, compared with the normal control group. ROC analysis showed that in very mild AD patients the accuracy of FDG-PET diagnosis was 89% and that of VBM-MRI diagnosis was 83%. The accuracy of the combination of FDG-PET and VBM-MRI diagnosis was 94%. CONCLUSION: In very mild AD, both FDG-PET and VBM-MRI had high accuracy for diagnosis, but FDG-PET showed slightly higher accuracy than VBM-MRI. Combination of the two techniques will yield a higher diagnostic accuracy in very mild AD by making full use of functional and morphological images.

Aged↗

Level structure of InAs quantum dots in two-dimensional assemblies.

The electronic level structure of colloidal InAs quantum dots (QDs) in two-dimensional arrays, forming a QD-solid system, was probed using scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The band gap is found to reduce compared to that of the corresponding isolated QDs. Typically, the electron (conduction-band) ground state red shifts more than the hole (valence-band) ground state. This is assigned to the much smaller effective mass of the electrons, resulting in stronger electron delocalization and larger coupling between electron states of neighboring QDs compared to the holes. This is corroborated by comparing these results with those for InAs and CdSe nanorod assemblies, manifesting the effects of the electron effective mass and arrangement of nearest neighbors on the band gap reduction. In addition, in InAs QD arrays, the levels are broadened, and in some cases their discrete level structure was nearly washed out completely and the tunneling spectra exhibited a signature of two-dimensional density of states.

Arsenicals↗

Subunit composition of skeletal muscle transverse tubule calcium channels evaluated with the 1,4-dihydropyridine photoaffinity probe, [3H]azidopine.

The arylazide 1,4-dihydropyridine, [3H]azidopine, binds with high affinity to calcium channels in partially purified guinea-pig skeletal muscle transverse tubule membranes. Upon brief exposure to u.v. light, [3H]azidopine incorporates covalently into transverse tubule membrane proteins, as judged by SDS-PAGE. After alkylation of sulfhydryl groups with N-ethylmaleimide three specifically labelled bands of mol wts. 240 kd, 158 kd and 99 kd are always observed with fluorography after one-dimensional SDS-PAGE. Two other specific bands with mol. wts. of 52 kd and 55 kd, respectively, were sometimes observed. Two-dimensional SDS-PAGE (non-reduced but alkylated in the first dimension and reduced in the second dimension) revealed that the 240-kd band after reduction migrates with a mol. wt. of 99 kd. The 158-kd and 99-kd bands do not change in mobility. It is suggested that [3H]azidopine binds in such a way that the arylazide moiety of the ligand comes into contact with at least three calcium channel components: the A component of mol. wt. 240 kd, the B component of mol. wt. 158 kd and a C component of mol. wt. 99 kd. B and C are non-covalently bonded subunits of the channel, whereas A could be a heterodimer consisting of B and C, linked by disulfide bonds. Subunits of smaller mol. wt. may be also part of the ionic pore. Photolabelling of transverse tubule membranes after high energy irradiation with 10 MeV electrons supports this interpretation.

Affinity Labels↗

AppppA binds to several proteins in Escherichia coli, including the heat shock and oxidative stress proteins DnaK, GroEL, E89, C45 and C40.

The dinucleotide AppppA (5',5'''-P1, P4-diadenosine tetraphosphate) is rapidly synthesized in cells exposed to heat stress or oxidative stress. Stress-induced AppppA accumulation has been observed in all cell types studied to date. In order to study the function(s) of AppppA, we created a mutation in the Escherichia coli gene that encodes the sole AppppN hydrolase (apaH). High levels of AppppA have subsequently been shown to affect many cellular processes, including expression of catabolite repressible genes and the ability to survive starvation, oxidative stress and near-UV irradiation. Nevertheless, the precise role of AppppA remains undefined. In order to better understand the mechanism by which AppppA exerts its effects, we attempted to determine which proteins bind to AppppA by synthesizing (alpha'-32P) 8-N3AppppA for use in photocrosslinking experiments with extract derived from cells with different genetic backgrounds and exposed to various stress conditions. We report here that several E. coli proteins bind AppppA, including the heat shock and oxidative stress proteins DnaK, GroEL, E89, C45 and C40. In addition, we show that apaH mutants, which have high basal levels of AppppA, are hypersensitive to killing by heat.

Affinity Labels↗

Oxidative stress in the aging murine olfactory bulb: redox proteomics and cellular localization.

A recent proteomics analysis from our laboratory demonstrated that several oxidative stress response proteins showed significant changes in steady-state levels in olfactory bulbs (OBs) of 20- vs. 1.5-month-old mice. Oxidative stress may result in protein oxidation. In this study, we investigated two forms of protein oxidative modification in murine OBs: carbonylation and nitration. Redox proteomics with two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, Western blotting, protein digestion, and mass spectrometry was used to quantify total and specific protein carbonylation and to identify differentially carbonylated proteins and determine the carbonylation status of previously identified proteins in OBs of 1.5- and 20-month-old mice. Immunohistochemistry was used to demonstrate the relative intensity and localization of protein nitration in OBs of 1.5-, 6-, and 20-month-old mice. Total protein carbonylation was significantly greater in OBs of 20- vs. 1.5-month-old mice. Aldolase 1 (ALDO1) showed significantly more carbonylation in OBs from 20- vs. 1.5-month-old mice; heat shock protein 9A and dihydropyrimidinase-like 2 showed significantly less. Several previously investigated proteins were also carbonylated, including ferritin heavy chain (FTH). Nitration, identified by 3-nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity, was least abundant at 1.5 months, intermediate at 6 months, and greatest at 20 months and was localized primarily in blood vessels. Proteins that were specific targets of oxidation were also localized: ALDO1 in astrocytes of the granule cell layer and FTH in mitral/tufted cells. These results indicate that specific carbonylated proteins, including those in astrocytes and mitral/tufted neurons, and nitrated proteins in the vasculature are molecular substrates of age-related olfactory dysfunction.

Aging↗

Role of interfragmentary strain in fracture healing: ovine model of a healing osteotomy.

It has been hypothesized that the histological pattern of fracture healing is controlled at least in part by the local mechanical strains in the interfragmentary region. To test this "interfragmentary strain hypothesis," we applied cyclic bending deformations to tibial osteotomies in 11 sheep. An instrumented flexible plate spanning a 1-mm osteotomy gap was deformed to create a gradient of tissue elongation from 10% under the plate to 100% at the opposite cortex. The cyclic deformations were applied three times per minute, 24 h per day, for 1-5 weeks. However, as a result of tissue differentiation, the bone-plate complex increased in stiffness with healing time, resulting in a marked reduction of the gap deformation at approximately 4 weeks. Fracture healing was evaluated using vascular injection of India ink and conventional histology. A nonlinear three-dimensional finite element model of the interfragmentary tissue at the initial stage of healing was used to predict the complex tissue strains. The ingrowth of vascularized soft tissue into the interfragmentary gap, as well as the subsequent differentiation of this tissue, occurred earlier and to a greater degree in regions of lower strain. In contrast, the proliferation of callus tissue was greatest at the periosteal and endosteal surfaces of the cortex opposite the plate. Direct comparison of the finite element predictions with the histology demonstrated that the spatial distribution of bone resorption at the fracture fragment ends directly corresponded to the locations of elevated tissue strain and stress. However, there was no consistent numerical relationship between the magnitude of these local peak strains and the corresponding volume of cortical bone resorption over the bone cross section.

Animals↗

Comparison of the proteome of Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 grown under methylotrophic and nonmethylotrophic conditions.

Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 is a facultative methylotrophic bacterium that is capable of growing in the presence of methanol as the sole carbon and energy source, but is also able to grow on a limited number of C(2), C(3), and C(4) compounds, for example succinate. This study provides a proteomic view of the cellular adaptation of M. extorquens AM1 to growth on methanol and succinate, respectively. Cytosolic proteins were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis employing overlapping pH ranges and visualized by silver nitrate or fluorescence staining. A proteomic reference map containing 229 different proteins identified by peptide mass fingerprinting of tryptic fragments was established. Comparative proteome profiling of methanol- and succinate-grown cells led to the identification of 68 proteins that are induced under methylotrophic growth conditions in comparison to growth on succinate. This group includes most proteins known to be directly involved in methanol oxidation to CO(2) and in assimilation of one carbon units by the serine cycle as well as 18 proteins without any assigned function and two proteins with a predicted regulatory function. Furthermore, the proteome analysis revealed putative isoenzymes for formaldehyde-activating enzyme Fae, malyl-CoA lyase, malate-dehydrogenase, and fumarase, that need to be characterized functionally in future studies.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Peptide mass fingerprinting: protein identification using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-time-of-flight (TOF)-mass spectrometry (MS) is now routinely used in many laboratories for the rapid and sensitive identification of proteins by peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF). We describe a simple protocol that can be performed in a standard biochemistry laboratory, whereby proteins separated by one- or two-dimensional gel electrophoresis can be identified at femtomole levels. The procedure involves excision of the spot or band from the gel, washing and de-staining, reduction and alkylation, in-gel trypsin digestion, MALDI-TOF MS of the tryptic peptides, and database searching of the PMF data. Up to 96 protein samples can easily be manually processed at one time by this method.

Databases, Protein↗

Calcium-channel blockers inhibit human low-density lipoprotein oxidation by oxygen radicals.

Previous studies have shown that calcium channel blockers may reduce the development of experimental atherosclerosis, and that nifedipine may slow the progression of coronary atherosclerosis in humans. The mechanisms responsible for this antiatherogenic effect are still unclear. It has been recently proposed that oxygen free radicals can induce the oxidation of human low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and that oxidized LDL may be an atherogenic stimulus. Previous studies in other systems have shown that calcium channel blockers may effectively inhibit oxygen radical-induced lipid peroxidation in vitro. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether calcium channel blockers may also reduce LDL modifications induced by oxygen radicals. Isolated human LDL were exposed to oxygen radicals generated by CuSO4 (10 microM for 18 hours) after a 30 minute pre-incubation with different concentrations (1-100 microM) of nifedipine, diltiazem, and verapamil. Lipid peroxidation was measured from malonyldihaldehyde (MDA) production. Oxygen radical-induced damage on apolipoprotein-B100 was evaluated by acrylamide and agarose gel electrophoresis. Calcium channel blockers dose-dependently prevented oxidation of both the lipid and protein components of LDL. MDA formation was reduced in LDL pre-incubated with calcium antagonists before exposure to oxygen radicals (% MDA inhibition was 89.8 +/- 6.9 with 30 microM nifedipine, 68.6 +/- 4.9 with 30 microM verapamil, and 65.6 +/- 7.1 with 30 microM diltiazem; p < 0.01 vs. controls). Similarly, apolipoprotein-B100 integrity was preserved against oxygen radical attack in the presence of calcium antagonists. Thus, calcium channel blockers reduce the oxidation of human LDL in vitro. These data suggest that reduced formation of atherogenic oxidized LDL may be an additional mechanism for the antiatherosclerotic effects of calcium channel blockers in vivo.

Analysis of Variance↗

Molecular modeling of protein structure and function: a bioinformatic approach.

This paper reports on the data/information structure of macromolecules as it extends beyond the three-dimensional conformation to include functional descriptors of biochemical (in vitro) and biological (in vivo) characteristics and as it contrasts with the limitations imposed by the data reduction and data classification techniques of traditional molecular modeling. Methodologies for structure-function representation are presented which are being incorporated within a knowledge-acquisition expert system. Examples of the bioinformatic approach are presented concerning macromolecular recognition by serine proteases and the use of Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy for structural assignment and analysis by a novel structure-perturbation approach.

Computer Simulation↗

A double-label two-dimensional gel electrophoresis procedure specifically designed for serum or plasma protein analysis.

A double-label two-dimensional electrophoresis procedure has been developed which is specifically designed for the comparison of serum or plasma proteins in two different samples. Proteins are labeled by reductive methylation with [14C]- or [3H] formaldehyde. The procedure is economical because small quantities of relatively inexpensive isotopes are used and it is at least as sensitive as silver staining in detecting proteins. A fourfold increase in the sensitivity of autoradiography over existing methods was obtained by performing autoradiography before processing the gel for fluorography. A spot in the electrophoretic gel that contains 17-28 ng of labeled protein is detectable. This corresponds to proteins present in serum at a concentration of 5-10 micrograms/ml. Even greater sensitivity can be achieved, at greater expense, by increasing the quantities of the radioisotopes in the labeling reaction. The particular value of the double label approach is that complex mixtures from two different sources are resolved together thus eliminating the possibility of differences arising from the resolving procedure itself. The procedure was applied to a mixture of serum and plasma from a single subject and a number of qualitative and quantitative differences were observed.

Autoradiography↗

Biochemical and biophysical properties of cytochrome o of Azotobacter vinelandii.

Cytochrome o, solubilized from the membrane of Azotobacter vinelandii, has been purified to homogeneity as judged by ultracentrifugation and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The detergent-containing cytochrome o is composed of one polypeptide chain with a molecular weight of 28 000-29 000, associated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The enzyme exists as a dimer by gel filtration analysis. The amino analysis which reveals the majority of residues are of hydrophobic nature. The cytochrome o oxidase contains protoheme as its prosthetic group and about 20-40% of phospholipids. The phospholipids are identified as phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol by radioautographic analysis using 2-dimensional thin-layer chromatography. No copper or nonheme iron can be detected in the purified oxidase preparation by atomic absorption and chemical analyses. Oxidation-reduction titration shows this membrane-bound cytochrome o to be a low-potential component, and Em was determined to be -18 mV in the purified form and -30 mV in the membrane-bound form. Both forms bind CO with a reduced absorption peak at 559 and 557-558 nm in the native and solubilized forms, respectively. A high-spin (g = 6.0) form is assigned to the oxidized cytochrome o by electron paramagnetic resonance analysis, and KCN abolishes this high-spin signal. CO titration of purified cytochrome o in the anaerobic conditions shows the enzyme binds one CO per four protohemes and a dissociation constant is estimated to be 3.2 microM for CO. Cyanide reacts with purified cytochrome o in both oxidized and CO-bound forms, identified by specific spectral compounds absorbed at the Soret region. Cytochrome c, often co-purified with cytochrome c from the membrane, cannot serve as a reductant for cytochrome o in vitro, due to the apparent potential difference of about 300 mV. Upon separation, both cytochrome o and cytochrome c4 show a great tendency of aggregation. Furthermore, the oxidase activity (measured by tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine oxidation rate) decreases as the cytochrome c concentration is decreased by ammonium sulfate fractionation. All these suggest the structural and functional complex nature of cytochrome c4 and cytochrome o in the membrane of A. vinelandii.

Azotobacter↗

Ophthalmic imaging by spectral optical coherence tomography.

PURPOSE: To demonstrate two novel ophthalmic imaging techniques based on fast Spectral Optical Coherence Tomography (SOCT). DESIGN: Prospective observation case report. METHODS SETTING: Research laboratory. STUDY POPULATION: A normal human subject. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Correlation of an optical coherence retinal tomogram with known retinal anatomy, reduction of eye exposure to the probing light beam during Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) examination. RESULTS: High resolution (3- x 20-microm) cross-sectional 2-dimensional images of the human retina in vivo have been obtained with only 0.1-second total illumination time (for 1024 A-scans), and approximately 200- microW eye exposure. Details of the optic disk in vivo have been visualized at a rate of eight frames per second, which is sufficient to provide real time analysis. The 3-dimensional images of the optic nerve correspond to the images obtained from a fundus camera. CONCLUSIONS: Because of its short acquisition time and high sensitivity, SOCT uses a 100 times lower exposure/A-scan to obtain images of comparable quality to those obtained by the commercial instrument based on traditional time-domain OCT. Spectral Optical Coherence Tomography therefore provides a much wider safety margin than the traditional method and allows relaxation of the current safety precautions forbidding more than 10 minutes/day scanning of the same location of a retina. As a result of the high speed offered by the new technique, the 3-dimensional tomograms, which allow a surgeon access to a comprehensive and detailed view of relevant pathologies, are obtained in a much shorter, clinically more reasonable time.

Adult↗