Comparison of Phase-variance Optical Coherence Tomography and Fluorescein Angiography in Retinovascular Imaging

Fluorescein angiography (FA) has long been the gold standard for vascular imaging of the
retina and choroid. It is a test that involves the intravenous injection of fluorescein
dye, followed by imaging of the dye's passage through the blood vessels inside the eye. It
is commonly used to diagnose many forms of retinovascular disease, as well as to assess the
retina's response to various therapeutic interventions. While FA is a relatively safe
diagnostic test, it carries the risk of both minor and major side effects. These include
nausea and vomiting, yellowing of the skin and urine, vascular extravasation with skin
eruption and necrosis, vasovagal reactions, myocardial infarction, respiratory failure,
anaphylaxis, cardiopulmonary arrest, and death. Additionally, the test is time-consuming,
technically difficult to perform, and requires patients to undergo the discomfort associated
with intravenous access. Despite these drawbacks, FA is still commonly used in clinical
practice, as there are no existing alternative tests with the ability to provide comparable
detail of the retinal and choroidal vasculature.

Phase-variance optical coherence tomography is a novel, noninvasive, software-based
technology capable of generating angiographic images from the data gathered by standard OCT
scans. Preliminary research suggests it can produce high-definition representations of the
retinal and choroidal vasculature which may be more detailed than the images produced by FA.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patients with suspected or established retinovascular disease who are going to
undergo FA as part of their usual clinical evaluation.

2. Patients must be age 13 or above.

3. Patients must be able to speak and understand the English language in order to
provide informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Any patients who are unwilling to participate or provide informed consent.

2. Any patients who are pregnant at the time of enrollment.

3. Any patients with ocular media opacities which prevent clear evaluation of the fundus
by either FA or OCT.