Quantitative comparison of analysis methods for spectroscopic optical coherence tomography.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Spectroscopic optical coherence tomography (sOCT) is crucial for mapping chromophore concentrations and enhancing tissue image contrast.
• Accurate depth-resolved spectral acquisition in sOCT relies on analysis methods balancing spectral/spatial resolution and spectral recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively compare available sOCT spectral analysis methods.
• To determine the optimal method for localized chromophore quantification in biological tissues.

Main Methods:

• Simulations in tissue-like media were performed.
• Methods evaluated include short time Fourier transform (STFT), wavelet transforms, Wigner-Ville distribution, and dual window method.

Main Results:

• All evaluated methods exhibit a trade-off between spectral and spatial resolution.
• The STFT method demonstrated superior performance in the simulations.

Conclusions:

• The STFT method is the optimal choice for sOCT applications requiring localized quantification of hemoglobin concentration and oxygen saturation.
• Understanding spectral/spatial resolution trade-offs is critical for selecting appropriate analysis techniques in sOCT.