Analysis of the outer retina reconstructed by high-resolution, three-dimensional spectral domain optical coherence tomography.

A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to demonstrate an analysis of an outer retinal layer reconstructed by the three-dimensional and high-speed spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) instrument. New measurement protocols for SD-OCT and methods of analysis and visualization of the individual segmented retinal layer reconstructed by SD-OCT were proposed. Three contour maps representing mutual distances between the basal part of the retinal pigment epithelium, the junction between the inner and outer segments of photoreceptors, and a reference contour representing the shape of a healthy retina were introduced. The analysis of the outer retina was performed on pathological eyes. Three cases of central serous chorioretinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and acute zonal occult outer retinopathy are demonstrated. Three contour maps reconstructed for clinical cases demonstrate high variability of observed patterns depending on analyzed pathology. The authors believe this can help to present OCT data simultaneously in a more comprehensive and convenient way to assist in everyday clinical diagnosis.