Photo-mediated ultrasound therapy (PUT) is a novel antivascular therapeutic modality based on cavitation-induced bioeffects. During PUT, synergistic combinations of laser pulses and ultrasound bursts are used to remove the targeted microvessels selectively and precisely without harming nearby tissue. In the current study, an integrated system combining PUT and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was developed, where the SD-OCT system was used to guide PUT by detecting cavitation in real time in the retina of the eye.

Method

We first examined the capability of SD-OCT in detecting cavitation on a vascular-mimicking phantom and compared the results with those from a passive cavitation detector. The performance of the integrated system in treatment of choroidal microvessels was then evaluated in rabbit eyes in vivo.

Results

During the in vivo PUT experiments, several biomarkers at the subretinal layer in the rabbit eye were identified on OCT images. The findings indicate that, by evaluating biomarkers of treatment effect, real-time SD-OCT monitoring could help to avoid micro-hemorrhage, which is a potential major side effect.

Conclusion

Real-time OCT monitoring can thus improve the safety and efficiency of PUT in removing the retinal and choroidal microvasculature.