In vivo full-field en face correlation mapping optical coherence tomography

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Medical Imaging
• Ophthalmology

Background:

• Nonscanning en face flow imaging offers advantages for visualizing dynamic biological processes.
• Existing optical coherence tomography (OCT) methods may have limitations in speed or field of view for certain applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a full-field OCT system for nonscanning en face flow imaging.
• To demonstrate the capability of this system for in vivo vascular imaging.

Main Methods:

• A full-field OCT system utilizing an 840 nm light source and microscope objectives was constructed.
• En face images were reconstructed using a two-step phase method, and dynamic scatterers were identified using 2D cross-correlation analysis.
• System performance was evaluated using a blood flow phantom and in vivo imaging of Xenopus laevis tadpoles.

Main Results:

• The system achieved an axial resolution of 8 μm and a transverse resolution of 5 μm.
• A field of view of 1260×945 μm was obtained with an OCT frame rate of 10 Hz.
• Successful in vivo imaging of vascular structures in a tadpole model was demonstrated.

Conclusions:

• The developed full-field OCT system provides a viable method for nonscanning en face flow imaging.
• Correlation mapping OCT applied to full-field OCT enables in vivo functional imaging of blood vessels.
• This technique shows promise for advancing vascular research and diagnostics.