Coherence function-encoded optical palpation.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Medical Imaging
• Biophysics

Background:

• Optical palpation visualizes tissue stress via surface deformation.
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is the current standard but is complex and costly.
• A need exists for more accessible optical palpation techniques for clinical diagnostics.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce coherence function-encoded optical palpation (CFE-OP) as a cost-effective alternative.
• Demonstrate CFE-OP's ability to map mechanical properties of biological tissues.
• Compare CFE-OP performance against OCT-based optical palpation.

Main Methods:

• Developed a novel optical profilometry technique using a Fabry-Perot laser diode and Michelson interferometer.
• Exploited the coherence function envelope, not its peak, for depth information retrieval.
• Applied CFE-OP to phantom materials and excised human breast tissue samples.

Main Results:

• CFE-OP successfully mapped surface stress and deformation in biological tissues.
• Achieved mechanical contrast comparable to OCT-based optical palpation.
• Demonstrated capability to differentiate between stiff cancerous and soft benign breast tissue.

Conclusions:

• CFE-OP provides a simplified and more affordable approach to optical palpation.
• This technique shows promise for enhanced clinical diagnostics, particularly in distinguishing tissue pathologies.
• CFE-OP represents a significant advancement in non-invasive mechanical characterization of tissues.