Characteristics of Neovascularization in Early Stages of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

Imaging Artifacts and Segmentation Errors With Wide-Field Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Diabetic Retinopathy

Purpose

To analyze imaging artifacts and segmentation errors with wide-field swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA) in diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Methods

We conducted a prospective, observational study at Massachusetts Eye and Ear from December 2018 to March 2019. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), diabetic patients with no diabetic retinopathy (DR), and healthy control eyes were included. All patients were imaged with a SS-OCTA and the Montage Angio (15 × 9 mm) was used for analysis. Images were independently evaluated by two graders using the motion artifact score (MAS). All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0 and R software.

Results

One hundred thirty-six eyes in 98 participants with the montage image were included in the study. Patients with more severe stages of DR had higher MAS by trend test analysis (P < 0.05). The occurrence of segmentation error was 0% in the healthy group, 10.53% in the no DR group, 10.00% in the NPDR group, and 50% in the PDR group. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the severity of DR and dry eye were the major factors affecting MAS (P < 0.05). There were some modifiable artifacts that could be corrected to improve image quality.

Conclusions

Wide field SS-OCTA assesses retinal microvascular changes by noninvasive techniques, yet distinguishing real alterations from artifacts is paramount to accurate interpretations. DR severity and dry eye correlated with MAS.

Translational Relevance

Understanding contributing factors and methods to reduce artifacts is critical to routine use and clinical trial with wide-field SS-OCTA.