Enhanced Detection of Reticular Pseudodrusen on Color Fundus Photos by Image Embossing. (2nd November 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kadomoto, Shin; Nanegrungsunk, Onisa; Nittala, Muneeswar Gupta; Karamat, Ayesha; Sadda, SriniVas R.
• Is Part Of: Current eye research. Volume 47:Number 11(2022)
• Page Start: 1547
• Page End: 1552
• Publication Date: 2022-11-02
• Subjects: Age-related macular degeneration -- reticular pseudodrusen -- image processing -- embossing; Ophthalmology -- Periodicals; Eye -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Ophthalmology -- Periodicals; 573.88
• DOI: 10.1080/02713683.2022.2126860
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0271-3683

Abstract

Abstract: Purpose: To evaluate whether processing a color fundus photo (CFP) using an image embossing technique can improve the detection of reticular pseudodrusen (RPD). Methods: This post-hoc analysis included the eyes of subjects enrolled in the Amish Eye Study with early or intermediate age-related macular degeneration and evidence of RPD. All patients underwent CFP, near-infrared reflectance (NIR), and fundus autofluorescence (FAF) imaging. The ground-truth presence of RPD was established with a combination of NIR and FAF imaging. An embossing processed (EP) image was created by replacing each pixel of the CFP image with a highlight or a shadow representing light and dark boundaries in the original CFP image. The presence of RPD in CFP and EP images was assessed by two graders in a masked fashion and the sensitivity of CFP and EP for detection of RPD was evaluated. Cohen's kappa (k) was used to test inter-grader agreement for CFP and EP. Results: A total of 106 eyes from 62 patients with RPDs were analyzed. The sensitivity for detection of RPD on CFP and EP was 63.2% (95%CI: 52.0%–74.4%) and 91.5% (95%CI: 85.0%–98.0%), respectively. The inter-rater reliabilities of CFP and EP for RPD detection were 0.81 and 0.84, respectively. Conclusions: Embossing of CFP can improve the sensitivity for detection of RPD. The embossing technique can be a useful tool for better assessment of the true frequency of RPD in datasets where only CFP images are available.