optical coherence tomography (OCT) tagged posts

Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is a severe disease that occurs when a vein in the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye (i.e., the retina) becomes blocked, which results in a loss of vision. There are currently a few medical interventions that address RVO, including the periodic injection of medications that block the abnormal growth of blood vessels or of steroids, which reduce swelling and inflammation.

A promising procedure for the treatment of RVO is retinal vein cannulation (RVC)...

Associate Professor Peter Barlis examines a 3-D printed heart artery. The ability to 3-D model the intricacies of the human heart are giving cardiologists incredible new insight into heart disease. Credit: The University of Melbourne

The images, gathered during a routine angiogram, are fed into a supercomputer. Within 24 hours, a model of a person’s artery is 3D printed. This gives cardiologists crucial information about the behaviour of blood flow and the precise structure of the artery from the inside. It also helps them make decisions about the best stent to use. The technique can also detect ‘hot spots’ for plaque which have been difficult to find using traditional techniques.

Heart disease remains the number one killer in Australia, affecting 1 in 6 adults...