Optical Coherence Tomography of Enucleated Human Eye pecimen With Hitological Correlation: Origin of the Outer “Red Line” Original Reearch Article

Purpoe To further define the origin of the “outer red line” (ORL) preent in retinal optical coherence tomogram. Deign Laboratory invetigation. Method Eleven formalin-fixed cap of even human eye previouly enucleated for choroidal melanoma at the Wilmer Eye Intitute were tudied. The ORL evaluation conited of equential, urgical elimination of the retinal pigment epithelium, Bruch’ membrane (BM), and choroid in eparate, but adjacent, area. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) image through each of thee area were correlated with correponding hitologic ection. The relative contribution of the retinal pigment epithelium, BM, and choroid to the ORL in retinal OCT3 image wa evaluated. Reult In the pecimen examined, the ORL correlated anatomically with a highly reflective optical urface at the level of the outer retina, and did not appear to repreent a pecific anatomic layer. The reflecting layer appeared to be compoed of the retinal pigment epithelium, BM, and inner choroid. The relative contribution of BM together with the inner choroid to the ORL appeared greater than that of the retinal pigment epithelium. Concluion Thi tudy ugget that the ORL preent in retinal OCT3 image and generally aociated with the retinal pigment epithelium/BM/inner choroidal complex appear to indicate a highly reflective optical urface which, when eye layer are normally configured, repreent thi complex of anatomic tructure with a predominant contribution from BM and inner choroid. The finding of thi tudy ugget a potential role for OCT in the eye pathology laboratory.