Optical coherence microscopy in 1700 nm spectral band for high-resolution label-free deep-tissue imaging

Sci Rep. 2016 Aug 22:6:31715. doi: 10.1038/srep31715.

Abstract

Optical coherence microscopy (OCM) is a label-free, high-resolution, three-dimensional (3D) imaging technique based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) and confocal microscopy. Here, we report that the 1700-nm spectral band has the great potential to improve the imaging depth in high-resolution OCM imaging of animal tissues. Recent studies to improve the imaging depth in OCT revealed that the 1700-nm spectral band is a promising choice for imaging turbid scattering tissues due to the low attenuation of light in the wavelength region. In this study, we developed high-resolution OCM by using a high-power supercontinuum source in the 1700-nm spectral band, and compared the attenuation of signal-to-noise ratio between the 1700-nm and 1300-nm OCM imaging of a mouse brain under the condition of the same sensitivity. The comparison clearly showed that the 1700-nm OCM provides larger imaging depth than the 1300-nm OCM. In this 1700-nm OCM, the lateral resolution of 1.3 μm and the axial resolution of 2.8 μm, when a refractive index was assumed to be 1.38, was achieved.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain / diagnostic imaging*
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional / methods*
  • Mice
  • Microscopy, Confocal
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Signal-To-Noise Ratio
  • Swine
  • Thyroid Gland / diagnostic imaging*
  • Tomography, Optical Coherence / methods*