Multimodal Cataract Severity Classification from AS-OCT Examination Reports: Analyzing the Complementarity of B-Scan Images and A-Scan Profiles

Background/Objectives: Deep learning on anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) has been applied mainly to nuclear cataract. This study evaluated whether the A-scan profile in Anterion reports adds information to the B-scan image for classifying nuclear (N), cortical (C), and posterior subcapsular (P) cataract severity.

Methods

B-scan images and A-scan profiles were extracted from 1416 reports of 691 patients. LOCS III grades were converted into three levels (None/Mild, Moderate, Advanced); inter-observer agreement was excellent (weighted κ 0.84–0.97). Image and profile encoders were combined using five fusion strategies and evaluated with patient-level 5-fold cross-validation.