Case Report

Principles and novel clinical applications of optical coherence tomography

  • Tarkan Mumcuoğlu
  • Fazıl Cüneyt Erdurman
  • Ali Hakan Durukan

Received Date: 13.02.2008 Accepted Date: 28.03.2008 Turk J Ophthalmol 2008;38(2):168-175

In the recent years, optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become one of the important diagnostic technologies in the ophthalmology, especially in retinal diseases and glaucoma. This technology provides high resolution cross-sectional images for detecting retinal pathologies even though the microscopic retinal abnormalities are easily noticeable. Additionally, the results are reproducible and exceedingly quantitative. Because of the properties of the OCT results, this technology is in use worldwide. However, as in any other imaging technique, some artifacts are expected to occur. Understanding of the basic physical principles in image acquisition and data processing of this technology is very important issue for clinical use of OCT. Clinicians have to be aware of some limitations of this new imaging device. Significant progress in the field of OCT retinal imaging has been made to improve the sensitivity and imaging speed. It is quite likely that the role of this technology as a method for diagnosis and management of retinal diseases and glaucoma will be further defined in the near future.

Keywords: Optical coherence tomography, Glaucoma, Fourier domain

Full Text (Turkish)