Oxygen Saturation in Optic Nerve Head Structures by Hyperspectral Image Analysis

Purpose: A method is presented for the calculation and visualization of percent blood oxygen saturation from specific tissue structures in hyperspectral images of the optic nerve head (ONH). Methods: Trans-pupillary images of the primate optic nerve head and overlying retinal blood vessels were obtained with a hyperspectral imaging (HSI) system attached to a fundus camera. Images were recorded during normal blood flow and after partially interrupting flow to the ONH and retinal circulation by elevation of the intraocular pressure (IOP) from 10 mmHg to 55 mmHg in steps. Percent oxygen saturation was calculated from groups of pixels associated with separate tissue structures, using a linear least-squares curve fit of the recorded hemoglobin spectrum to reference spectra obtained from fully oxygenated and deoxygenated red cell suspensions. Color maps of saturation were obtained from a new algorithm that enables comparison of oxygen saturation from large vessels and tissue areas in hyperspectral images. Resul...