Investigation of basal cell carcinoma using dynamic focus optical coherence tomography

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Dermatology
• Biomedical Imaging

Background:

• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is increasingly used for skin tumor diagnosis.
• Accurate assessment of tumor size and margins is crucial for effective treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a dynamic focus OCT (DF-OCT) configuration for imaging periocular basal cell carcinoma (BCC).
• To illustrate morphological differences between BCC and healthy skin using DF-OCT.
• To correlate DF-OCT images with histology for diagnostic validation.

Main Methods:

• Experiments were performed on periocular BCC specimens using a specialized OCT setup.
• A dynamic focus (DF) procedure was employed, synchronizing the coherence gate with the confocal gate peak.
• DF-OCT imaging was used to capture morphological details, followed by correlation with histology.

Main Results:

• The DF-OCT configuration demonstrated the ability to image BCC specimens.
• Morphological differences between BCC and surrounding healthy skin were visualized in OCT images.
• OCT images showed good correlation with corresponding histology images.

Conclusions:

• DF-OCT is a promising technique for examining periocular basal cell carcinoma.
• This method aids in differentiating tumor from healthy tissue and assessing margins.
• This study represents the first investigation of DF-OCT for periocular BCC imaging.