PRESS RELEASE April 2014

MILESTONE: Intraoperative optical coherence tomography

After obtaining even more positive feedback at the Retina Meeting 2014 in Frankfurt with Prof. Dr. med. Claus Eckardt, the iOCT attracted a great deal of attention upon being presented in March at the World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC) 2014 in Tokyo. The possibilities the iOCT delivers for eye surgeons are now viewed as a milestone in ophthalmology.

HAAG-STREIT SURGICAL's integrated iOCT system has been developed for intraoperative optical coherence tomography (iOCT™). It is non-invasive, and permits contact-free imaging for imaging structures and layers within the tissue.

iOCT was developed by the company OPMedT and has CE clearance in Europe. It was launched on the market in 2010 and was the first system that facilitated intraoperative optical coherence tomography. Since then, the user base has grown to ample international dimensions, with five years of iOCT experience now confirmed in volumes of studies and publications.

The first experience with intraoperative OCT in ophthalmology was garnered back in 2009 with an iOCT camera prototype at the University of Lübeck's Opthalmology Department. Just one year later, iOCT was presented at the WOC (World Ophthalmology Congress) in Berlin. "We are excited about the success story of intraoperative OCT in ophthalmology", says Dr. Eva Lankenau from the company OPMedT, developer and manufacturer of

The iOCT's advantages find confirmation again and again among users and industry professionals: "When making corneal incisions, the iOCT shows you perfectly how the cornea is cleaved. This feedback allows you to adapt your technique to make a more water-tight incision. You can react to unexpected incidents immediately and avoid further complications.“, states Professor Peter Stalmans from the University of Leuven, Belgium.

this technology. "With our research and development activities at the University of Lübeck in cooperation with HAAG-STREIT, we initially launched an iOCT system placed on a neuro-surgical microscope from the HAAG-STREIT Group. This makes it possible to enhance imaging to include, in addition to the well-known microscopic view of the tissue, deep cross-section imaging during a surgical intervention. Following our excellent initial intraoperative OCT experience in neurosurgery back in January 2006, we decided to develop an iOCT camera for ophthalmology in combination with the HS Hi-R NEO 900A NIR”, Dr. Lankenau further states.

Users all over Europe value the iOCT advantages:

Professor Claus Cursiefen of the University of Cologne:

Professor Peter Stalmans, University of Leuven, Belgium:

"The IOL is often much more tilted at the end of a combined phaco-vitrectomy case than it can be assessed from the microscope view. Repositioning the IOL based on the iOCT is much more precise than using the microscope view.“

About iOCT – Special characteristics The iOCT camera stands out with real-time high quality iOCT scans in grey scale. Those scans, iOCT videos, images and 3D volume scans can be saved for documentation and re-inspection at a later time. The measurement pane provides visualisation up to a depth of 4.2 mm. That, in turn, makes it possible to scan larger structures, such as the entire anterior and posterior eye segments. iOCT is coupled to the operation microscope's zoom and focus, which facilitates an even visual field both through the microscope and in iOCT. This synchronisation provides the operator with assistance in orientation at the treatment site. Depending on the augmentation level configured, the lateral scan width, and

"OCT closes the diagnostics imaging gap that has existed between microscopy and ultra sound to date. Tissue structures can be displayed at a depth of several millimetres. In contrast to ultra sound, no tissue contact is necessary. Integrated into an operation microscope, iOCT also permits intraoperative evaluation of depth information with a resolution of some 10 µm in order to provide treatment that is as preservative and successful as possible." And further: "The operator can utilise iOCT during the surgical intervention to evaluate structures within the tissue directly and document therapeutic measures without the intraoperative workflow being compromised - a significant advantage over other systems."

therefore the field of vision, ranges 5 mm to 30 mm. The iOCT camera can be fully integrated into the microscope system, and can be combined with a floor stand or a ceiling unit. Moreover, a surgeon can effortless observe and control iOCT directly via the M.DIS, a touch screen.

Indications and potential applications Anterior eye segment: iOCT can be performed for all operations in the anterior segment of the eye. While iOCT is utilised in cataract surgery to position the IOL, it delivers important support for operation success in lamellar keratoplasty with direct information regarding positioning and orientation of the donor's cornea. Yet another application consists of ICLs (implantable contact lenses). Posterior eye segment: For the posterior eye segment and observing the retina, the iOCT can be used with the HAAG-STREIT SURGICAL System EIBOS 2 NIR or a contact lens. Applications particularly include observing macular holes and edema, support in membrane peeling, as well as assessing retinal detachment and the associated therapy. About HAAG-STREIT SURGICAL HAAG-STREIT SURGICAL GmbH, is headquarted in Wedel, Germany, and is a subsidiary of HAAG-STREIT Holding AG. The Swiss HAAG-STREIT Group is one of the internationally leading providers of high quality ophthalmological and microsurgical products. About OPMedT OPMedT was founded in 2010. Its core business is product-capable development and production of a "universal OCT camera" as an accessory for medical optical

imaging equipment, such as OP microscopes, endoscopes and colposcopes. OPMedT has also been a member of the HAAG-STREIT Group since 2013. Press contact Juliane Siegling c/o HAAG-STREIT SURGICAL GmbH Rosengarten 10 D-22880 WEDEL, Germany www.haag-streit-surgical.com Tel.: +49-4103-709 379 E-Mail: pr@haag-streit-surgical.com Company contact HAAG-STREIT SURGICAL GmbH Rosengarten 10 D-22880 WEDEL, Germany www.haag-streit-surgical.com Tel.: +49-4103-709 04 E-Mail: info@haag-streit-surgical.com