Volume 11, Issue 8 e201800070
EDITOR'S CHOICE

Label-free volumetric imaging of conjunctival collecting lymphatics ex vivo by optical coherence tomography lymphangiography

Peijun Gong

Corresponding Author

Peijun Gong

Optical+Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia

Correspondence

Peijun Gong, Optical+Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth WA 6009, Australia.

Email: [email protected]

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Dao-Yi Yu

Dao-Yi Yu

Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia

Lions Eye Institute, Nedlands, WA, Australia

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Qiang Wang

Qiang Wang

Optical+Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia

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Paula K. Yu

Paula K. Yu

Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia

Lions Eye Institute, Nedlands, WA, Australia

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Karol Karnowski

Karol Karnowski

Optical+Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia

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Morgan Heisler

Morgan Heisler

Biomedical Optics Research Group, School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada

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Ashley Francke

Ashley Francke

Biomedical Optics Research Group, School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada

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Dong An

Dong An

Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia

Lions Eye Institute, Nedlands, WA, Australia

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Marinko V. Sarunic

Marinko V. Sarunic

Biomedical Optics Research Group, School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada

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David D. Sampson

David D. Sampson

Optical+Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia

University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK

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First published: 19 June 2018
Citations: 14

Abstract

We employ optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence microscopy (OCM) to study conjunctival lymphatics in porcine eyes ex vivo. This study is a precursor to the development of in vivo imaging of the collecting lymphatics for potentially guiding and monitoring glaucoma filtration surgery. OCT scans at 1300 nm and higher-resolution OCM scans at 785 nm reveal the lymphatic vessels via their optical transparency. Equivalent signal characteristics are also observed from blood vessels largely free of blood (and devoid of flow) in the ex vivo conjunctiva. In our lymphangiography, vessel networks were segmented by compensating the depth attenuation in the volumetric OCT/OCM signal, projecting the minimum intensity in two dimensions and thresholding to generate a three-dimensional vessel volume. Vessel segmentation from multiple locations of a range of porcine eyes (n = 21) enables visualization of the vessel networks and indicates the varying spatial distribution of patent lymphatics. Such visualization provides a new tool to investigate conjunctival vessels in tissue ex vivo without need for histological tissue processing and a valuable reference on vessel morphology for the in vivo label-free imaging studies of lymphatics to follow.

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