Ultrahigh resolution optical biopsy with endoscopic optical coherence tomography

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an emerging medical imaging technology that can generate high resolution, cross-sectional images of tissue in situ and in real time. Although endoscopic OCT has been used successfully to identify certain pathologies in the gastrointestinal tract, the resolution of current endoscopic OCT systems has been limited to 10-15 microm for in vivo studies. In this study, in vivo imaging of the rabbit gastrointestinal tract is demonstrated at a three-fold higher resolution (< 5 microm), using a broadband Cr(4+):Forsterite laser as the optical light source. Images acquired from the esophagus, trachea, and colon reveal high resolution details of tissue architecture. Definitive correlation of architectural features in OCT images and histological sections is shown. The ability of ultrahigh resolution endoscopic OCT to image tissue morphology at an unprecedented resolution in vivo advances the development of OCT as a potential imaging tool for the early detection of neoplastic changes in biological tissue.