A novel ergonomic optical coherence tomography probe optimized for supine handheld angiography of young children and infants (Conference Presentation)

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is an extension of OCTA that allows for non-invasive imaging of the retinal microvasculature. OCTA imaging of adult retinal diseases is area of active research in ophthalmology as OCTA can provide insight into the pathogenesis of many retinal diseases. Like these adult diseases, pediatric diseases such as retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) have a primarily vascular pathogenesis. However, table top OCTA systems require compliant, seated subjects and cannot be used on infants and young children. In this manuscript we describe the development of a non-contact handheld OCTA (HH-OCTA) probe for imaging of young children and infants in the operating room. The probe utilizes a novel, diverging light on the scanner optical design that provides improved performance over a traditional OCT scanner design. While most handheld OCT probes are designed to be held by the side of the case or by a handle, our operators tend to prefer to grip probes by the tip of the probe for supine imagine. The ergonomics of the HH-OCTA probe were designed to match this grip. The HH-OCTA probe used a 200 kHz OCT engine, has a motorized stage that provides +10 to -10 D refractive error correction, and weighs 700g. Initial OCTA imaging was performed in 9 children or infants during exam under anesthesia. The HH-OCTA images provide visualization of the retinal microvasculature in both normal and pathological eyes.