Joint Diabetic Macular Edema Segmentation and Characterization in OCT Images.

The automatic identification and segmentation of edemas associated with diabetic macular edema (DME) constitutes a crucial ophthalmological issue as they provide useful information for the evaluation of the disease severity. According to clinical knowledge, the DME disorder can be categorized into three main pathological types: serous retinal detachment (SRD), cystoid macular edema (CME), and diffuse retinal thickening (DRT). The implementation of computational systems for their automatic extraction and characterization may help the clinicians in their daily clinical practice, adjusting the diagnosis and therapies and consequently the life quality of the patients.

Automatic macular edema identification and characterization using OCT images.

Background And Objective: The detection and characterization of the intraretinal fluid accumulation constitutes a crucial ophthalmological issue as it provides useful information for the identification and diagnosis of the different types of Macular Edema (ME). These types are clinically defined, according to the clinical guidelines, as: Serous Retinal Detachment (SRD), Diffuse Retinal Thickening (DRT) and Cystoid Macular Edema (CME). Their accurate identification and characterization facilitate the diagnostic process, determining the disease severity and, therefore, allowing the clinicians to achieve more precise analysis and suitable treatments.