Phase-based OCT angiography in diagnostic imaging of pediatric retinoblastoma patients: abnormal blood vessels in post-treatment regression patterns.

Phase-based OCT angiography of retinoblastoma regression patterns with a novel handheld 1050 nm clinical imaging system is demonstrated for the first time in children between 0 and 4 years old under general anesthesia. Angiography is mapped at OCT resolution by flow detection at every pixel with en-face projection from the volume between nerve fiber layer and retinal pigment epithelium. We show a striking difference between blood vasculature of healthy retina, and retinoblastoma regression patterns after chemotherapy, as well as varying complexity of abnormal vasculature in regression patterns types 2, 3, and 4. We demonstrate abnormal, tortuous and prominent vasculature in type 3 regression patterns having the highest risk of tumor recurrences and a lower probability to reduction into flat scars. The ability to visualize 3-D angiography might offer new insights in understanding of retinoblastoma development and its response to therapy.