Clinical Research Directory

To Study the Effects of Refractive Surgery on OCT Measurements in the Eye

Corrective eye surgeries, such as Lasik, are widely used to correct focusing problems such as myopia, or nearsightedness. Often these patients develop other conditions like myopic maculopathy or glaucoma which require monitoring with optical coherence tomography (OCT). Since OCT is a light-based test and changes the refractive status of the eye (in the cornea or the lens), it can potentially affect the results of the OCT measurements but has not been sufficiently studied. This pilot study aims at studying the potential change in OCT parameters in the eye after undergoing such surgery.

Efficacy and Safety of Zotarolimus-eluting Stent Overexpansion With OCT

Investigators aimed to evaluate efficacy and safety of expansion capacity of zotarolimus-eluting Stent assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in vivo study.

Long-term Safety and Effectiveness of LASIK-Xtra Compared to Conventional LASIK

Laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) is a widely used procedure for the correction of myopia and myopic astigmatism. Despite its high effectiveness and the general safety of the procedure, long-term safety and effectiveness remain a key concern in ophthalmology. A promising further development is the combination of LASIK with corneal UV-riboflavin crosslinking, which promises additional stability of the cornea.1 This study aims to evaluate the long-term safety and effectiveness of this combined method in comparison to classic LASIK. By analysing long-term results, the aim is to gain well-founded insights that will help to optimise the decision on the most suitable procedure for correcting myopia and myopic astigmatism and to ensure the best possible clinical results for patients.

Natural History of Coronary Atherosclerosis

The present study sought to explore the predictive value of radial wall strain (RWS, derived solely from angiograms) for coronary artery lesion progression compared with lesion vulnerability assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT). The lesion progression at 1 year was defined as an increase of ≥20% in diameter stenosis based on quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) evaluation.

D-OCT for Detection and Subtyping of BCC: a Diagnostic Cohort Study

The current gold standard for diagnosing basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the histopathological examination of biopsy specimen. However, non-invasive imaging modalities such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) may replace biopsy if BCC presence and its subtype can be established with high confidence. Subtype differentiation is crucial; while superficial BCCs (sBCC) can be treated topically, nodular (nBCC) and infiltrative BCCs (iBCC) require excision. Dynamic OCT (D-OCT) is a functionality integrated within the OCT device, enabling the visualization of vascular structures through speckle variance. Descriptive studies have unveiled vascular shapes and patterns associated with BCC and its respective subtypes. These findings suggest that D-OCT could contribute to the accuracy of BCC detection and subtyping. Yet comparative clinical studies between OCT and D-OCT are lacking. In the proposed diagnostic cohort study, we aim to assess whether D-OCT assessment is superior to OCT in terms of accuracy for BCC detection and subtyping.

Normative Database of Healthy Subject Vascular Density Using Spectralis Heidelberg® Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) is a determinant progress to study retinal and choroidal vasculature without using a dye injection. OCT-A yields interesting results in different pathologies such as diabetes mellitus, age-related macular degeneration, hypertension blood pressure, particularly by affecting vascular density. Normative database are necessary to compare OCT-A parameters between patients and controls. However, OCT-A devices from different manufactures may give different values for the same subject. It seems to be obvious that each OCT-A device should have its own normative database. In the literature, OCT-A normative databases are developing using different types of devices, but none is available for Heidelberg OCT-A in Caucasians. The purpose of this project is to create a normative database of retinal microvascularisation using Spectralis Heidelberg optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) ® in normal controls.

Effect of PCSK9 Inhibitors on Coronary Atherosclerotic Plaques Derived From Optical Coherence Tomography

The presence of coronary atherosclerotic vulnerable plaque significantly impacts the clinical outcomes of patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the influence of PCSK9 inhibitors on stabilizing coronary atherosclerotic plaques in individuals with early-onset CAD, evaluated through optical coherence tomography (OCT), remains inadequately understood. Moreover, there is a notable absence of relevant randomized controlled trials investigating this phenomenon. This current study represents a single-center, randomized, controlled, open-label trial conducted among Asian patients with early-onset CAD. Its principal objective was to explore the effects of PCSK9 inhibitors on coronary atherosclerotic plaque morphology as assessed by OCT.

Research of Endobronchial Optical Coherence Tomography in Pre-COPD

The pre-stage of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Pre-COPD) is challenging to diagnose. However, identifying Pre-COPD is a crucial step in the prevention and management of COPD. Endobronchial optical coherence tomography showed the value of diagnosis in Pre-COPD and COPD in previous researchs.

OCT or Angiography Guided De-escalation of DAPT

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) offers a high-resolution intravascular imaging modality to accurately assess vessel and lumen geometry and identify the hallmark of a culprit lesion including plaque disruption and thrombus. In addition, the incorporation of the MLD MAX algorithm into daily practice guides an efficient and easily-memorable workflow for optimized OCT-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES). Regarding the antithrombotic therapy after revascularization, the 2023 ESC guidelines recommend the P2Y12 receptor inhibitor de-escalation (i.e. switching from ticagrelor to clopidogrel) in ACS patients may be considered as an alternative strategy to the default treatment regimen in order to reduce the risk of bleeding events. Based on the above conclusions, we designed a single-center, prospective, randomized controlled, exploratory study trial to evaluate whether the utility of OCT for guiding PCI with DES followed by antiplatelet de-escalation therapy could further reduce the stent-induced intimal hyperplasia of STEMI patients after stent implantation.

Optical Coherence Tomography for Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis

To evaluate the clinical significance of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in interventional treatment of intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS).

PRospective Evaluation of Complete Revascularization in Patients With multiveSsel Disease Excluding chroNic Total Occlusions

This prospective, multicenter, non-randomized, single arm, objective performance goal (OPG) study is designed to evaluate clinical outcomes after complete revascularization by PCI and imaging guidance (OCT) in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease including left anterior descending (LAD) presenting with stable angina, or documented silent ischemia, or non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS).