Near Infrared Autofluorescence Imaging of Retinal Diseases

“…These aberrant signals can present as intermittent foci or continuous bands of altered brightness in both SW-AF and NIR-AF images [ 101 , 102 , 103 ]. In these junctional zones areas of increased SW-AF can coincide with increased NIR-AF; increased SW-AF can overlap with reduced NIR-AF; or NIR-AF signal can be enhanced while SW-AF may appear normal [ 84 , 104 ] ( Figure 7 ). Interestingly, a loss of photoreceptor function was found to be associated with both increased and decreased NIR-AF [ 97 , 105 ].…”

Section: Comparison Of Sw- and Nir-af In Amd: Altered Intensities mentioning

confidence: 99%

Fundus Autofluorescence and RPE Lipofuscin in Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Sparrow

Duncker

2014

JCM

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Genes that increase susceptibility to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have been identified; however, since many individuals carrying these risk alleles do not develop disease, other contributors are involved. One additional factor, long implicated in the pathogenesis of AMD, is the lipofuscin of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The fluorophores that constitute RPE lipofuscin also serve as a source of autofluorescence (AF) that can be imaged by confocal laser ophthalmoscopy. The AF originating from lipofuscin is excited by the delivery of short wavelength (SW) light. A second autofluorescence is emitted from the melanin of RPE (and choroid) upon near-infrared (NIR-AF) excitation. SW-AF imaging is currently used in the clinical management of retinal disorders and the advantages of NIR-AF are increasingly recognized. Here we visit the damaging properties of RPE lipofuscin that could be significant when expressed on a background of genetic susceptibility. To advance interpretations of disease-related patterns of fundus AF in AMD, we also consider the photochemical and spectrophotometric features of the lipofuscin compounds responsible for generating the fluorescence emission.

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“…We limited our analysis to patients with geographic atrophy, but the benefit of combined wavelength imaging mode extends to other diseases such as central serous retinopathy and inherited retinal dystrophy. 1,4,16 It is possible that the success rate of ART averaging in single wavelength NI-AF imaging may be greater in other macular diseases characterized by higher melanolipofuscin load or prominent landmarks, and therefore combined wavelength mode imaging is not necessary. We only examined the feasibility of NI-AF acquisition for disc-centered and maculacentered views but not for temporal perimacular views, which are relevant to clinical trial protocols in which 3 horizontally aligned posterior pole views are often required.…”

Section: Disc-centered Imagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Near-infrared autofluorescence is used clinically in supporting the diagnosis of central serous chorioretinopathy, choroidal nevus, retinal and macular dystrophies, pseudoxanthoma elasticum, and toxic retinopathy, given their distinct patterns of fluorescence signals when compared with BL-AF. 1 Differences in lipofuscin and melanin fluorophore distribution have also been demonstrated in various stages of AMD. 4,10,12,13 The discrepancy in AF patterns between NI and BL excitation wavelengths is most striking in geographic atrophy that encroaches into but spares the fovea.…”

mentioning

confidence: 96%