Optical Frequency Domain Imaging in Giant Cell Arteritis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Optimising the Diagnosis of Giant Cell Arteritis Using Optical Frequency Domain Imaging
IRAS ID
261888
Contact name
Saul Rajak
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Mr Scott Harfield
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a condition giving rise to inflammation of arteries, which can lead to both blindness and death. Accurate diagnosis is critical, as both under and over treatment may lead to significant ill health.
The current single best investigation for diagnosing GCA is temporal artery biopsy (TAB). This involves an incision in the forehead and removal of a small (1-2cm) section of an artery. TAB has significant shortcomings, and so other diagnostic modalities are being researched and trialled. Ultrasound has been extensively investigated in its application to diagnosing GCA, though is yet to be widely adopted due to a steep learning curve and the significant expertise required. Transdermal optical coherence tomography (light base technology) has also been used to image the temporal artery, though due to poor penetration of light through skin, high quality images have not been produced.
Optical frequency domain imaging (OFDI) is a light base technology regularly used in cardiovascular medicine to assess coronary arteries, in particular with regard to coronary stents. This is undertaken with a small (1mm, width of needle) probe through the lumen of the artery. Our group has developed an animal (porcine) model of the temporal artery and trialled the OFDI probe to confirm (a) high resolution visualisation of the vessel wall can be achieved and (b) the OFDI probe does not cause any damage to the internal surface of the vessel.
The purpose of this prospective feasibility study is to determine the capability of OFDI in producing high definition images of TAB specimen arterial walls without trauma. Moreover, we wish to determine the capability of OFDI in demonstrating characteristic vessel wall changes seen in GCA. This will be done by feeding an OFDI probe through the lumen of ex vivo TAB specimens prior to standard histopathological interpretation.
REC name
London - City & East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/1117
Date of REC Opinion
16 Jul 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion