Full Field Fourier Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

We present a three-dimensional (3-D) endoscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT) system based on a dual axis microelectromechanical system (MEMS) mirror. The diameter of MEMS mirror was 1.2 mm and both axes were capable of scanning up to 20° (optical) at greater than 1 kHz with excellent linearity. The MEMS mirror was packaged in a machined acrylic endoscopic housing which provided mechanical protection and electrical interconnects as well as optical alignment of the MEMS device to a focusing GRIN lens. The endoscopic MEMS probe was integrated and tested with both a fiber-based time domain (TD) OCT system and Fourier domain (FD) OCT system. Combining the 2-axis lateral scanning of the MEMS device with an axial scan allowed 3-D volume images to be obtained at a rate of 3 frames/s for the TD system and 7 frames/s for the FD system. In the initial investigations, in vivo 3-D OCT images of a human finger as well as images of animal tissue such as healthy rabbit trachea, normal and cancerous regions of hamster cheek pouch tissue were obtained. These images allowed real-time diagnosis of diseased tissue and also clearly delineated important features and tissue structures.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become a novel approach to noninvasive imaging in the past three decades, bringing a significant potential to biological research and medical biopsy in situ, particularly in three-dimensional (3D) in vivo conditions. Specifically, OCT systems using broad bandwidth sources, mainly centered at near-infrared-II, allow significantly higher imaging depth, as well as maintain a high-resolution and better signal-to-noise ratio than the traditional microscope, which avoids the scattering blur and thus obtains more details from delicate biological structures not just limited to the surface. Furthermore, OCT systems combined the spectrometer with novel light sources, such as multiplexed superluminescent diodes or ultra-broadband supercontinuum laser sources, to obtain sub-micron resolution imaging with high-speed achieve widespread clinical applications. Besides improving OCT performance, the functional extensions of OCT with other designs and instrumentations, taking polarization state or birefringence into account, have further improved OCT properties and functions. We summarized the conventional principle of OCT systems, including time-domain OCT, Fourier-domain OCT, and several typical OCT extensions, compared their different components and properties, and analyzed factors that affect OCT performance. We also reviewed current applications of OCT in the biomedical field, especially in hearing science, discussed existing limitations and challenges, and looked forward to future development, which may provide a guideline for those with 3D in vivo imaging desires.

In recent years, optical coherence tomography (OCT) became gained importance in medical disciplines like ophthalmology, due to its noninvasive optical imaging technique with micrometer resolution and short measurement time. It enables e. g. the measurement and visualization of the depth structure of the retina. In other medical disciplines like dermatology, histopathological analysis is still the gold standard for skin cancer diagnosis. The EU-funded project VIAMOS (Vertically Integrated Array-type Mirau-based OCT System) proposes a new type of OCT system combined with micro-technologies to provide a hand-held, low-cost and miniaturized OCT system. The concept is a combination of full-field and full-range swept-source OCT (SS-OCT) detection in a multi-channel sensor based on a micro-optical Mirau-interferometer array, which is fabricated by means of wafer fabrication. This paper presents the study of an experimental proof-of-concept OCT system as a one-channel sensor with bulk optics. This sensor is a Linnik-interferometer type with similar optical parameters as the Mirau-interferometer array. A commercial wavelength tunable light source with a center wavelength at 845nm and 50nm spectral bandwidth is used with a camera for parallel OCT A-Scan detection. In addition, the reference microscope objective lens of the Linnik-interferometer is mounted on a piezo-actuated phase-shifter. Phase-shifting interferometry (PSI) techniques are applied for resolving the conjugate complex artifact and consequently contribute to an increase of image quality and depth range. A suppression ratio of the complex conjugate term of 36 dB is shown and a system sensitivity greater than 96 dB could be measured.

The conventional Fourier domain optical coherence tomography system requires single scanner for two dimensional cross-sectional image and two scanners for volumetric image. Parallel spectral domain optical coherence tomography has advantage of single scanner for volumetric image, while two dimensional cross-sectional images are obtained by parallel acquisition of illuminated line on sample using area camera. In this study, the industrial inspection of optical thin film on touch screen panels was demonstrated using parallel spectral domain optical coherence tomography. The cross-sectional and volumetric images were acquired to detect the internal sub layer defects in optical thin film which are difficult to observe using visual or machine vision based inspection methods. The results indicate the possible application of the proposed system in touch screen panels inspection for quality assurance of product at consumer end.

Conventional optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems generally have a limited imaging range within a depth of only 1-2 mm and suffers from unwanted noise such as speckle, ghost or mirror noise. To overcome these limitations, we developed a motorized-stage-based OCT system with an extended imaging range, using a common-path Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (CP-FD-OCT) configuration. Using this OCT systems, OCT image was obtained from an onion, and their subsurface structure were observed. The result showed that the OCT images obtained using our motorized-stage-based system had a significantly extended imaging range due to its real-time accurate depth tracking. Consequently, the devised CP-FD-OCT systems and algorithms have good potential for the further development of endoscopic OCT for microsurgery.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive imaging modality generating cross sectional and volumetric images of translucent samples. In Fourier domain OCT (FD OCT), the depth profile is calculated by a fast Fourier transformation of the interference spectrum, providing speed and SNR advantage and thus making FD OCT well suitable in biomedical applications. The interference spectrum can be acquired spectrally resolved in spectral domain OCT or time-resolved in optical frequency domain imaging (OFDI). Since OCT images still suffer from motion artifacts, especially under in vivo conditions, increased depth scan rates are required. Therefor, the principle of Fourier domain mode locking has been presented by R. Huber et al. circumventing the speed limitations of conventional FD OCT systems. In FDML lasers, a long single mode fiber is inserted in the ring resonator of the laser resulting in an optical round trip time of a few microseconds. Sweeping the wavelength synchronously by a tunable Fabry-Perot filter can provide wavelength sweeps with repetition rates up to a few MHz used for OFDI. Imaging of subpleural lung tissue for investigation of lung dynamics and its elastic properties is a further biomedical application demanding high-speed OCT imaging techniques. For the first time, the visualization of subpleural alveolar structures of a rabbit lung is presented by the use of an FDML-based OCT system enabling repetition rates of 49.5 kHz and 122.6 kHz, respectively.

To describe key developments of optical biometry and optical coherence tomography (OCT) for ophthalmic applications made by one of the pioneering research groups. Partial coherence interferometry (PCI) as the basic ranging technology for modern optical biometry and for OCT was introduced for biomedical applications in the 1980s. Later, Fourier domain (FD) OCT was introduced and demonstrated to provide superior sensitivity as compared to time domain OCT. Further developments comprised ultrahigh-resolution OCT and deep-penetration OCT at wavelengths of approximately 1050 nm. Important functional extensions comprise Doppler OCT/OCT angiography, polarization-sensitive OCT, and adaptive optics OCT. High-precision PCI biometry has found extensive applications in cataract surgery and in research on intraocular lens design. Optical coherence tomography, especially in the second-generation variant of FD OCT, is now indispensable for ocular diagnostics in general and for retinal diagnostics in particular; 1050 nm OCT shows improved penetration into deeper layers like the choroid. The contributions of the Vienna research group helped to establish PCI biometry and FD OCT as the gold standards in their respective fields.

We present an Optical coherence tomography (OCT) system which records full tomograms of in vivo eye structure in parallel. A full tomogram of 256(x) x 512(z) pixels covering a sample region of 6.7mm x 3,8mm is recorded in only 1ms. A standard Superluminescent diode (SLD) is used which results a depth resolution of 17 mm. Since neither depth nor transverse scanning is necessary, the system allows capturing full tomograms with high acquisition speed and reduced motion artifacts. To the best of our knowledge we present the first in vivo tomogram obtained with full parallel FD OCT system. In order to study cross talk issues for parallel illumination the transversal resolution for a thermal light source is compared to that with an SLD.

Numerical analysis of one-shot full-range FD-OCT system based on orthogonally polarized light

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a new imaging modality that is being actively used in a variety of medical applications. Currently, most of the OCT systems operate in the time domain, which requires scanning the optical path length in the reference arm in order to obtain the in-depth profile, i.e. A scan. This however limits the system scanning speed. To avoid the axial scanning and therefore improve the system scanning speed, a novel OCT system is recently proposed by a number of groups that operates in the frequency domain, i.e. the spectral OCT. In this paper, we report the spectral OCT system being constructed at Tianjin University. The system has a dynamic range at 78dB and is capable of scanning speed at 12 seconds per image, largely limited by the bottleneck of data transferring from the CCD camera currently employed to the computer. The SOCT imaging results obtained from the animal tissues (cornea from an intact porcine eye) <i>in vitro</i> will be presented.

Agreement between Fourier-domain and swept-source optical coherence tomography used for optic nerve head measurements

In order to enhance cell culture growth in biosensors such as those for glucose detection must be developed that are capable of monitoring cell culture processes continuously and accurate. Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) is used to obtain cell images with nanometer level resolution by analyzing the interference pattern by the mixing of reference and objective light to determine glucose concentration in doped double distilled water and create a glucose signature spectrum in salt-sugar solution. We demonstrate ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging of in vitro biological cells and an improved deflection angle measurements formal and back projection method is used to reconstruct the two-dimensional glucose concentration performs refractive index distribution. Slopes of OCT signals decreased substantially and almost linearly with the increase of glucose concentration from 2.5 to 15 mg/dl. Phantom studies demonstrated 1% accuracy of scattering- coefficient measurement. Our theoretical and experimental studies suggest that glucose concentration can potentially be measured non-invasively with high sensitivity and accuracy with OCT systems.

We present a parallel optical coherence tomography(OCT) system using a complementary metaloxide-semiconductor(CMOS) smart array detector. This paper includes descriptions of the CMOS smart array detector, and the experimental results of scattering surface targets including a wet tissue on an Air Force target, and ex vivo gold fish retina where the boundary between the vitreous humor and the ganglion cell layer could be identified in the acquired images. After three-dimensional volume rendering, several other layers between the ganglion cell layer and the choroid layer could be observed even though the contrast between the layers was weak. Control of the current version of the CMOS smart array detector requires significant time for maintenance. Although the current CMOS smart array detector needs improvement, the design is a promising ophthalmologic instrument and can provide fast retinal scanning and prompt display of the acquired images.

Speckle reduction in parallel optical coherence tomography by spatial compounding

This study was designed to investigate the effect of a single-drop instillation of different lacrimal substitutes on tear film thickness (TFT) assessed with optical coherence tomography in patients with mild to moderate dry eye disease. The study was performed in a randomized, double-masked, controlled parallel group design. Patients received a single dose of either unpreserved trehalose 30 mg/mL and sodium hyaluronate 1.5 mg/mL (TH-SH, Thealoz Duo), unpreserved sodium hyaluronate, 0.15% (HA, Hyabak) or sodium chloride, 0.9% (NaCl, Hydrabak) eye drops. Sixty patients finished the study according to the protocol. TFT was measured with a custom-built ultrahigh-resolution Fourier domain optical coherence tomography system providing a resolution of 1.2 μm. The mean TFT before treatment was 2.5 ± 0.4 μm. Ten minutes after instillation, TFT significantly increased in the TH-SH group from 2.4 ± 0.4 to 3.1 ± 0.9 μm (P < 0.01) and in the HA group from 2.4 ± 0.3 to 2.9 ± 0.5 μm (P < 0.01), whereas no significant change was observed in the NaCl group (from 2.6 ± 0.4 to 2.7 ± 0.4 μm, P = 0.76). The increase in TFT remained statistically significant up to 240 minutes after administration of TH-SH. In contrast, the increase in TFT after administration of HA was only statistically significant at 10, 20, and 40 minutes after drop instillation. The findings of this study indicate that single instillation of TH-SH and HA eye drops increases TFT in patients with dry eye disease. The data also indicate longer corneal residence of the TH-containing eye drops. The effect of multiple instillation and long-term use of artificial tears on TFT warrants further investigation.