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Functional imaging using the retinal function imager: Direct imaging of blood velocity, achieving fluorescein angiography-like images without any contrast agent, qualitative oximetry, and functional metabolic signals

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Abstract

The Retinal Function Imager (RFI; Optical Imaging, Rehovot, Israel) is a unique, noninvasive multiparameter functional imaging instrument that directly measures hemodynamic parameters such as retinal blood-flow velocity, oximetric state, and metabolic responses to photic activation. In addition, it allows capillary perfusion mapping without any contrast agent. These parameters of retinal function are degraded by retinal abnormalities. This review delineates the development of these parameters and demonstrates their clinical applicability for noninvasive detection of retinal function in several modalities. The results suggest multiple clinical applications for early diagnosis of retinal diseases and possible critical guidance of their treatment.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Optical Imaging Ltd, Rehovot, Israel

    David Izhaky, Darin A. Nelson & Zvia Burgansky-Eliash

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Edith Wolfson Medical Center, Holon, Israel

    Zvia Burgansky-Eliash

  3. Department of Neurobiology, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

    Amiram Grinvald

  4. Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel

    Amiram Grinvald

Authors
  1. David Izhaky
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  2. Darin A. Nelson
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  3. Zvia Burgansky-Eliash
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  4. Amiram Grinvald
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amiram Grinvald.

Additional information

Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi: 10.1007/s10384-009-0689-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Electronic supplementary material

Flow from a normal subject

The re-registration and differential processing of a series of images taken at 50–60 Hz produces a “flow movie,” in which it is possible to follow the motion of individual clusters of red blood cells. The movie linked to here is derived from a series of eight aligned images obtained over a period of 100 ms. Dividing each single image by the average of all produces eight corresponding differential images; played in order, these comprise the flow movie itself. Interpretation of a flow movie is straightforward: where there is a black spot, there is an erythrocyte or erythrocyte cluster; in white spots, or gaps, erythrocytes are absent.

Movie: retinal flow in normal eye

The movie is of the same region depicted in Fig. 3B in this article.

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Izhaky, D., Nelson, D.A., Burgansky-Eliash, Z. et al. Functional imaging using the retinal function imager: Direct imaging of blood velocity, achieving fluorescein angiography-like images without any contrast agent, qualitative oximetry, and functional metabolic signals. Jpn J Ophthalmol 53, 345–351 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-009-0689-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-009-0689-0

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