Engineering of Nanoscale Contrast Agents for Optical Coherence Tomography

Optical coherence tomography has emerged as valuable imaging modalityin ophthalmology and other fields by enabling high-resolution three-dimensional imaging of tissue. In this paper, we review recent progress in the field of contrast-enhanced optical coherence tomography (OCT). We discuss exogenous and endogenous sources of OCT contrast, focusing on their use with standard OCT systems as well as emerging OCT-based imaging modalities. We include advances in the processing of OCT data that generate improved tissue contrast, including spectroscopic OCT (SOCT), as well as work utilizing secondary light sources and/or detection mechanisms to create and detect enhanced contrast, including photothermal OCT (PTOCT) and photoacoustic OCT (PAOCT). Finally, we conclude with a discussion of the translational potential of these developments as well as barriers to their clinical use.