Wide dynamic range high-speed three-dimensional quantitative OCT angiography with a hybrid-beam scan

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Imaging
• Optical Coherence Tomography
• Angiography

Background:

• Quantitative blood flow imaging is crucial for diagnosing and monitoring various vascular diseases.
• Existing optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) methods face limitations in speed, dynamic range, and orientation independence for accurate flow quantification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate a novel hybrid-beam scanning-based quantitative OCTA system.
• To demonstrate high-speed, wide dynamic range blood flow speed imaging.
• To assess the system's capability for in vivo visualization of microvasculature.

Main Methods:

• A hybrid-beam scanning scheme was implemented to enable simultaneous OCTA image acquisitions at multiple time intervals.
• This approach allows for wide dynamic range blood flow speed quantification, independent of vessel orientation.
• Blood flow phantom experiments were conducted to validate the speed measurement range.

Main Results:

• The system achieved a wide dynamic range for blood flow speed imaging, quantified from 0.6 to 104 mm/s.
• In vivo imaging of a 4 mm x 4 mm area was performed in 20 seconds, visualizing blood flow from arteries to capillaries.
• The automated system demonstrated high-speed quantitative OCTA capabilities.

Conclusions:

• The developed hybrid-beam scanning quantitative OCTA system offers high-speed and wide dynamic range blood flow imaging.
• This technology shows significant potential as a valuable tool for diverse biomedical applications requiring detailed vascular assessment.
• The system's ability to accurately quantify flow speeds across a broad range and in various vessel types is a key advancement.