Method and system for optical coherence elastography of posterior parts of the eye

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016174834-A1
Application number	US-201414579678-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 22, 2014
Priority date	Dec 22, 2014
Publication date	Jun 23, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system and method for optical coherence elastography of tissue of an eye. The method includes introducing a probe into the eye, the probe including a vibration element, generating time resolved images of the tissue of the eye located posterior the vibration element of the probe by optical coherence tomography, exciting the vibration element to ultrasonic vibrations making the tissue vibrate or oscillate, measuring a displacement of the tissue in the time resolved images, and calculating elasticity values of the tissue from the displacement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for optical coherence elastography of tissue of an eye, the method comprising:
introducing a probe into the eye, the probe comprising a vibration element; generating time resolved images of the tissue of the eye located posterior the vibration element of the probe by optical coherence tomography; exciting the vibration element to ultrasonic vibrations making the tissue vibrate or oscillate; measuring a displacement of the tissue in the time resolved images; and calculating elasticity values of the tissue from the displacement.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the time resolved images of the tissue are sectional images of the tissue.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a distance between the vibration element of the probe and the tissue; determining a force applied to the tissue on basis of the distance and at least on parameter describing the ultrasonic vibrations; and determining an original length the tissue has prior to the exititation step, wherein the displacement of the tissue is measured as a change in length of the tissue, and the elasticity values of the tissue are calculated from the force applied and a ratio of the change in length and the original length.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the tissue is a retina of the eye.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the time resolved images and the elasticity values are generated as a map of the retina.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the probe is introduced into a vitreous humor of the eye.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the probe is a surgical instrument.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the surgical instrument is a vitrectomy instrument.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the displacement of the tissue is measured by speckle tracking in the time resolved images or by cross correlation of the time resolved images.

10 . A system for optical coherence elastography of tissue of an eye, the system comprising:
a probe adapted to be introduced into the eye at a location posterior to the iris, the probe comprising a vibration element; a surgical microscope imaging the tissue and comprising an optical coherence tomograph generating time resolved images of the tissue of the eye located posterior the vibration element of the probe by optical coherence tomography; and a computing and controlling device connected to the probe and to the surgical microscope and which device is adapted to control the vibration element to perform ultrasonic vibrations making the tissue vibrate or oscillate, to measure a displacement of the tissue in the time resolved images, and to calculate elasticity values of the tissue from the displacement.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the tissue is a retina of the eye and the surgical microscope comprises a retina motion compensation and stabilization unit.

12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein surgical microscope generates the time resolved images as time resolved sectional images of the tissue.

13 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the computing and controlling device determines a distance between the vibration element of the probe and the tissue, determines a force applied to the tissue on basis of the distance and at least on parameter describing the ultrasonic vibrations, determines an original length the tissue has prior to the exititation step, measures the displacement of the tissue as a change in length of the tissue, and calculates the elasticity values of the tissue from the force applied and a ratio of the change in length and the original length.

14 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the surgical microscope images a retina of the eye.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the surgical microscope generates the time resolved images as a map of the retina and wherein the computing and controlling device generates the elasticity values as a map of the retina.

16 . The system of claim 15 , further comprising a display unit for visualizing a microscopic view overlaid by the elasticity values.

17 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the probe is a surgical instrument.

18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the surgical instrument is a vitrectomy instrument.

19 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the computing and controlling device measures the displacement of the tissue by speckle tracking in the time resolved images or by cross correlation of the time resolved images.

Assignees

• Eslami Abouzar
• Maier-Matic Corinna
• Hartwig Falk
• Kochwagner Christine
• Zeiss Carl Meditec Ag

Inventors

• Eslami Abouzar
• Maier-Matic Corinna
• Hartwig Falk
• Kochwagner Christine

Classifications

• A61B3/102 Primary

  for optical coherence tomography [OCT] · CPC title

• A61B3/0025

  characterised by electronic signal processing, e.g. eye models · CPC title

• A61B3/0058

  for multiple images · CPC title

• A61B8/10

  Eye inspection · CPC title

• A61B3/12

  for looking at the eye fundus, e.g. ophthalmoscopes (A61B3/13 takes precedence) · CPC title