Methods to assess sensitivity of optical coherence tomography systems

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Medical Imaging Technology
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) sensitivity is crucial for system performance evaluation.
• Standardized OCT sensitivity measurement protocols are not well-documented in existing literature.
• Accurate sensitivity measurement aids in OCT system optimization and inter-system comparison.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a common method for measuring OCT system sensitivity.
• To introduce two novel phantom-based methods for OCT sensitivity assessment.
• To enable direct visualization of low reflectivity relevant to biological tissues using OCT.

Main Methods:

• Description of a widely adopted OCT sensitivity measurement technique.
• Development and implementation of two new phantom-based OCT sensitivity measurement methods.
• Quantitative evaluation of three distinct OCT sensitivity measurement approaches across various OCT system configurations.

Main Results:

• Presentation of quantitative sensitivity data obtained using the three described methods.
• Comparison of the performance and applicability of each measurement technique.
• Identification of advantages and limitations associated with each OCT sensitivity measurement approach.

Conclusions:

• The described methods provide valuable tools for quantifying OCT system sensitivity.
• Phantom-based methods offer enhanced visualization of low reflectivity scenarios.
• This work contributes to standardized OCT characterization and facilitates system development.