OCT
Meaning of OCT: OCT is an imaging technique that uses light waves to produce cross-sectional pictures of tissue, most familiar as a routine eye exam of the retina.
Definition of OCT
OCT is an abbreviation for optical coherence tomography, an imaging technique that uses light waves rather than radiation to create detailed, cross-sectional pictures of tissue. A computer processes the reflected light to build layered images similar in concept to ultrasound, but based on light rather than sound.
The technique is most widely used in eye care, where it produces detailed images of the retina and other structures at the back of the eye, allowing clinicians to examine the distinct layers of retinal tissue and detect subtle changes not visible during a standard eye examination.
OCT is also used in cardiology, where a small OCT probe can be guided into a coronary artery to produce detailed images of the vessel wall and any plaque present, helping guide certain procedures performed to open a narrowed artery.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
OCT imaging of the retina was performed as part of the routine eye examination.
Good to know
OCT used in eye care to image the retina and OCT used in cardiology to image a coronary artery share the same underlying light-based technology but are applied in entirely different parts of the body for different purposes.
Word origin
Where “OCT” comes from
Formed from tomo-, Greek for a cutting or slice, and -graphy, from graphein, meaning to write or record, combined with optical coherence, describing the light-based method used to generate the layered images.