In addition to viewing B-scan image data, clinicians also use quantitative measurements of tissue thicknesses or volumes extracted automatically from the OPT images. As with image quality, the accuracy of automated segmentation must be assessed prior to use of the numerical measurements based on these boundaries. This is typically accomplished by visual inspection of boundary lines placed on the OPT images but also can be inferred from analysis confidence measurements provided by the device software. In addition to segmentation accuracy, it is also important to determine if the region of interest has been aligned appropriately with the intended sampling area of the OPT.

The analysis software application segments OPT images using the raw data of the instrument to quantify tissue optical reflectivity and location in longitudinal scan or B-scan images. Many boundaries can be identified automatically with software algorithms, see Figure UU.3-1.