The Feasibility of Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Grading of Anterior Chamber Inflammation in a Rabbit Model of Anterior Uveitis

Abstract

PurposeTo determine the feasibility and accuracy of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) based grading of anterior chamber cell, using aqueous sampling as a standard, in a rabbit model of anterior uveitis.MethodsAdult Dutch-belted rabbits were preimmunized with M. tuberculosis (Tb) H37RA antigen, 1 week prior to induction of anterior uveitis with an intracameral injection of Tb antigen. The anterior chamber was imaged with SD-OCT, followed by a slit lamp examination. Two independent, trained graders recorded their estimate of anterior chamber cell count using the Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature (SUN) scores for each eye prior to performing an anterior chamber tap to determine the aqueous cell density using a hemocytometer. Using the aqueous cell density as a standard, correlation with SD-OCT counts were compared to those with SUN scores.ResultsOverall, SD-OCT correlated well with the hemocytometer counts (Spearman coefficient = 0.53, P < 0.001) compared with SUN grading and hemocytometer counts (Spearman coefficient = 0.02, P = 0.88). The correlation improved to 0.65 (P < 0.001) when we excluded eyes with corneal thickness ≥ 470 μm. Eyes with corneal thickness ≥ 470 μm exhibited the greatest degree of ocular inflammation and corneal opacity.ConclusionsIn our rabbit model, SD-OCT grading of anterior chamber cell correlated significantly better with aqueous cell counts, compared to traditional slit lamp grading. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography grading of anterior chamber cell may be a good alternative to SUN grading. Although SUN grading remains the clinical gold standard, alternative quantitative methods to assess ocular inflammation could provide insight into disease mechanism and aid in measuring treatment response.

A cell penetrating peptide from SOCS-1 prevents ocular damage in experimental autoimmune uveitis

“…In contrast to the intravitreal injections required and the undesirable side effects associated with steroid therapy, topical administration of R9-SOCS1-KIR is an straightforward alternative for panuveitis. To confirm its utility for human disease, future experiments should demonstrate that R9-SOCS-KIR can access the anterior chamber and the posterior chamber in a larger animal model such as the rabbit (Edmond et al, 2016).…”

Ocular anterior chamber blood cell population differentiation using spectroscopic optical coherence tomography

“…Optical coherence tomography (OCT) allows noninvasive, high-resolution cross-sectional imaging of the AC [9]. Several groups have investigated its potential in grading AC inflammation by locating and counting cells within anterior segment OCT (AS-OCT) images [10][11][12][13][14]. However, quantitative analysis of the true composition of cells using OCT remains a challenge.…”

A Cell Penetrating Peptide from SOCS-1 Prevents Ocular Damage in Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis

“…In contrast to the intravitreal injections required and the undesirable side effects associated with steroid therapy, topical administration of R9-SOCS1-KIR is an straightforward alternative for panuveitis. To confirm its utility for human disease, future experiments should demonstrate that R9-SOCS-KIR can access the anterior chamber and the posterior chamber in a larger animal model such as the rabbit (Edmond et al, 2016). SOCS1-KIR binds to the activation loop of tyrosine kinases JAK2, TYK2, and the adaptor protein MAL (Jager et al, 2011;Waiboci et al, 2007).…”