title: En-face optical coherence tomography in the diagnosis and management of age-related macular degeneration and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy.
abstract: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive imaging modality providing high-resolution images of the central retina that has completely transformed the field of ophthalmology. While traditional OCT has produced longitudinal cross-sectional images, advancements in data processing have led to the development of en-face OCT, which produces transverse images of retinal and choroidal layers at any specified depth. This offers additional benefit on top of longitudinal cross-sections because it provides an extensive overview of pathological structures in a single image. The aim of this review was to discuss the utility of en-face OCT in the diagnosis and management of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). En-face imaging of the inner segment/outer segment junction of retinal photoreceptors has been shown to be a useful indicator of visual acuity and a predictor of the extent of progression of geographic atrophy. En-face OCT has also enabled high-resolution analysis and quantification of pathological structures such as reticular pseudodrusen (RPD) and choroidal neovascularization, which have the potential to become useful markers for disease monitoring. En-face Doppler OCT enables subtle changes in the choroidal vasculature to be detected in eyes with RPD and AMD, which has significantly advanced our understanding of their pathogenesis. En-face Doppler OCT has also been shown to be useful for detecting the polypoid lesions and branching vascular networks diagnostic of PCV. It may therefore serve as a noninvasive alternative to fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography for the diagnosis of PCV and other forms of the exudative macular disease.
authors.forename: Tiffany
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.affiliation: The Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Hong Kong,, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Ian Y
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Iu
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chhablani
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yong
authors.forename: Koizumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hideki
authors.forename: Jacky
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D002829:Choroid / Q000098:blood supply*; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D019468:Disease Management; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*; D014792:Visual Acuity