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Publications in Scientific Journals:

R.M. Werkmeister, M. Vietauer, C. Knopf, C. Fürnsinn, R. Leitgeb, H. Reitsamer, M. Gröschl, G. Garhöfer, W. Vilser, L. Schmetterer:
"Measurement of retinal blood flow in the rat by combining Doppler Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography with fundus imaging";
Journal of Biomedical Optics, 19 (2014), 10; 1060081 - 1060089.



English abstract:
A wide variety of ocular diseases are associated with abnormalities in ocular circulation. As such,
there is considerable interest in techniques for quantifying retinal blood flow, among which Doppler optical
coherence tomography (OCT) may be the most promising. We present an approach to measure retinal
blood flow in the rat using a new optical system that combines the measurement of blood flow velocities
via Doppler Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography and the measurement of vessel diameters
using a fundus camera-based technique. Relying on fundus images for extraction of retinal vessel diameters
instead of OCT images improves the reliability of the technique. The system was operated with an 841-nm
superluminescent diode and a charge-coupled device camera that could be operated at a line rate of 20 kHz.
We show that the system is capable of quantifying the response of 100% oxygen breathing on the retinal blood
flow. In six rats, we observed a decrease in retinal vessel diameters of 13.2% and a decrease in retinal blood
velocity of 42.6%, leading to a decrease in retinal blood flow of 56.7%. Furthermore, in four rats, the response
of retinal blood flow during stimulation with diffuse flicker light was assessed. Retinal vessel diameter and
blood velocity increased by 3.4% and 28.1%, respectively, leading to a relative increase in blood flow of
36.2%. The presented technique shows much promise to quantify early changes in retinal blood flow during
provocation with various stimuli in rodent models of ocular diseases in rats.

Keywords:
retinal blood flow; animal experiments; Doppler; optical coherence tomography

Created from the Publication Database of the Vienna University of Technology.