Coronal in vivo forward-imaging of rat brain morphology with an ultra-small optical coherence tomography fiber probe

Phys Med Biol. 2013 Feb 7;58(3):555-68. doi: 10.1088/0031-9155/58/3/555. Epub 2013 Jan 14.

Abstract

A well-established navigation method is one of the key conditions for successful brain surgery: it should be accurate, safe and online operable. Recent research shows that optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a potential solution for this application by providing a high resolution and small probe dimension. In this study a fiber-based spectral-domain OCT system utilizing a super-luminescent-diode with the center wavelength of 840 nm providing 14.5 μm axial resolution was used. A composite 125 μm diameter detecting probe with a gradient index (GRIN) fiber fused to a single mode fiber was employed. Signals were reconstructed into grayscale images by horizontally aligning A-scans from the same trajectory with different depths. The reconstructed images can display brain morphology along the entire trajectory. For scans of typical white matter, the signals showed a higher reflection of light intensity with lower penetration depth as well as a steeper attenuation rate compared to the scans typical for gray matter. Micro-structures such as axon bundles (70 μm) in the caudate nucleus are visible in the reconstructed images. This study explores the potential of OCT to be a navigation modality in brain surgery.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain / cytology*
  • Brain / physiology
  • Brain / surgery
  • Electrophysiological Phenomena
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Lenses
  • Optical Fibers*
  • Rats
  • Surgery, Computer-Assisted
  • Tomography, Optical Coherence / instrumentation*