Depth-sensitive Raman spectroscopy combined with optical coherence tomography for layered tissue analysis

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Spectroscopy
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Layered tissue characterization requires both biochemical and morphological data.
• Current methods may not provide depth-resolved biochemical information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a combined Raman spectroscopy (RS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) system.
• To achieve depth-sensitive biochemical analysis of layered tissues.

Main Methods:

• Modified a real-time time-domain OCT system for co-aligned RS and OCT.
• Incorporated confocal Raman configuration for depth sensitivity.
• Validated the system with a layered phantom and resected mucosal tissue.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated co-alignment of OCT imaging and depth-sensitive Raman spectroscopy.
• Observed good correlation between OCT images and Raman signals in phantom studies.
• Confirmed biochemical differences between epithelial and stromal layers in mucosal tissue using Raman spectra.

Conclusions:

• The combined RS-OCT system enables simultaneous morphological and biochemical analysis of tissue layers.
• This integrated approach offers enhanced capabilities for layered tissue characterization.
• The system has potential applications in biomedical research and clinical diagnostics.