Method and apparatus for recording and displaying a three-dimensional OCT video

An apparatus for recording and displaying a three-dimensional OCT video, the apparatus comprising:

• an OCT system configured to facilitate time-sequential recording of OCT volumes for an object region of an observation object;
• and
• a data processing unit configured to:
• combine the OCT volumes recorded sequentially in time to form a combined OCT volume;
• generate display data which facilitate the display of the combined OCT volume;
• register a current OCT volume of the OCT volumes recorded sequentially in time;
• combine the current OCT volume with a previous combined OCT volume to generate an updated combined OCT volume;
• generate display data which facilitate the display of the updated combined OCT volume;
• carry out a check for combining the current OCT volume with the previous combined OCT volume and in respect of which volume regions of the current OCT volume have changed in comparison with corresponding volume regions of the previous combined OCT volume;
• only combine the volume regions of the current OCT volume that have not changed with the corresponding volume regions of the previous combined OCT volume;
• and
• replace the volume regions of the previous combined OCT volume in comparison with which the corresponding volume regions of the current OCT volume have changed with the corresponding volume regions of the current OCT volume.

A computer-implemented method for generating a three-dimensional OCT video, in which OCT volumes recorded sequentially in time for an object region of an observation object are received and combined to form a combined OCT volume, the computer-implemented method comprising:

• registering a current OCT volume of the OCT volumes recorded sequentially in time;
• combining the current OCT volume with a previous combined OCT volume to obtain an updated combined OCT volume;
• carrying out a check for combining the current OCT volume with the previous combined OCT volume, wherein the check is carried out in respect of which volume regions of the current OCT volume have changed in comparison with corresponding volume regions of the previous combined OCT volume;
• combining only the volume regions of the current OCT volume that have not changed with the corresponding volume regions of the previous combined OCT volume;
• and
• replacing the volume regions of the previous combined OCT volume in comparison with which the corresponding volume regions of the current OCT volume have changed by the corresponding volume regions of the current OCT volume.