Handheld common-path swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography

Opt Lett. 2023 Aug 1;48(15):3913-3916. doi: 10.1364/OL.488786.

Abstract

This study develops a handheld optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) system that uses a high-speed (200 kHz) swept laser with a dual-reference common-path configuration for stable and fast imaging. The common-path design automatically avoids polarization and dispersion mismatches by using one circulator as the primary system element, ensuring a cost-effective and compact design for handheld probe use. With its stable envelope (i.e., sub-µm shifts) and phase variation (corresponding to nm changes in axial displacement), the minimum detectable flow velocity is ∼ 0.08 mm/s in our experiment, which gives the common-path setup a high potential for application in a handheld OCTA system for clinical skin screening. In vivo skin structures and microvasculature networks on the dorsum of the hand and cheek of a healthy human are imaged successfully.

MeSH terms

  • Angiography* / methods
  • Fluorescein Angiography
  • Humans
  • Lasers
  • Microvessels
  • Skin
  • Tomography, Optical Coherence* / methods