Visualization and evaluation of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) are major challenges to improve treatment outcomes for patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Limitations of current imaging techniques include the limited penetration depth, spatial resolution, and sensitivity and difficulty visualizing CNV from the healthy microvasculature. In this study, a custom-built multimodal photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) system was developed to distinguish the margin of CNV in living rabbits with the assistance of functionalized gold nanorods conjugating with RGD ligands (GNR-RGD). Intravenous administration of GNR-RGD into rabbits in a CNV model resulted in signal enhancements of 27.2-fold in PAM and 171.4% in OCT. This molecular imaging technique of contrast-enhanced PAM and OCT is a promising tool for the precise imaging of CNV as well as the evaluation of the pathophysiology in vivo without destruction of tissue.
Keywords: choroidal neovascularization; contrast agents; gold nanorods; multimodal molecular imaging; optical coherence tomography; photoacoustic microscopy; photoacoustic ophthalmoscopy.