Noncontact Acoustic Micro-Tapping Optical Coherence Elastography for Quantification of Corneal Anisotropic Elasticity: In Vivo Rabbit Study

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate accurate measurement of corneal elastic moduli in vivo with noncontact and noninvasive optical coherence elastography. METHODS: Elastic properties (in-plane Young's modulus, E, and both in-plane, μ, and out-of-plane, G, shear moduli) of rabbit cornea were quantified in vivo using noncontact dynamic acoustic micro-tapping optical coherence elastography (AµT-OCE). The intraocular pressure (IOP)-dependence of measured mechanical properties was explored in extracted whole globes following in vivo measurement. A nearly incompressible transverse isotropic (NITI) model was used to reconstruct moduli from AµT-OCE data. Independently, cornea elastic moduli were also measured ex vivo with traditional, destructive mechanical tests (tensile extensometry and shear rheometry). RESULTS: Our study demonstrates strong anisotropy of corneal elasticity in rabbits. The in-plane Young's modulus, computed as E = 3μ, was in the range of 20 MPa to 44 MPa, whereas the out-of-plane shear modulus was in the range of 34 kPa to 261 kPa. Both pressure-dependent ex vivo OCE and destructive mechanical tests performed on the same samples within an hour of euthanasia strongly support the results of AµT-OCE measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Noncontact AµT-OCE can noninvasively quantify cornea anisotropic elastic properties in vivo. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: As optical coherence tomography (OCT) is broadly accepted in ophthalmology, these results suggest the potential for rapid translation of AµT-OCE into clinical practice. In addition, AµT-OCE can likely improve diagnostic criteria of ectatic corneal diseases, leading to early diagnosis, reduced complications, customized surgical treatment, and personalized biomechanical models of the eye.