Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is becoming the state-of-the-art method for the non-invasive imaging of a variety of ocular diseases. The aim of this study was to assess the application of OCT for the in vivo monitoring and follow-up of pathological changes during experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) in rats. Initially we established OCT imaging in healthy brown Norway rats and correlated it with retinal histology. Subsequently, we induced EAU and imaged animals by OCT throughout the pre-peak, peak, and post-peak phases of the disease. The sensitivity of OCT imaging was determined by comparison with clinical EAU and histopathology scores obtained ex vivo at several time points throughout the disease course. Our data demonstrate that OCT imaging of the healthy rat retina closely correlates with histological observations and allows the clear visualization of all retinal layers. After induction of EAU, the first pathological changes could be detected by OCT at day (d) 8 post-immunization (p.i.) which corresponded to the time point of clinical disease onset. An increase in retinal thickness (RT) was detected from d10 p.i. onwards which peaked at d16 p.i. and decreased again to near control levels by d20 p.i. We introduce a novel semi-quantitative OCT scoring which correlates with histopathological findings and complements the clinical scores. Therefore, we conclude that OCT is an easily accessible, non-invasive tool for detection and follow-up of histopathological changes during EAU in rats. Indeed, significant differences in RT between different stages of EAU suggest that this OCT parameter is a sensitive marker for distinguishing disease phases in vivo.
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