Balanced detection spectral-domain optical coherence tomography with a single line-scan camera

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Medical Imaging Technology
• Ophthalmology and Dermatology Imaging

Background:

• Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) is a vital imaging modality.
• Autocorrelation (AC) artifacts and low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) can degrade SD-OCT image quality.
• Conventional unbalanced detection methods struggle to fully mitigate these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a balanced detection spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (BD-SD-OCT) system.
• To suppress autocorrelation (AC) artifacts effectively.
• To enhance the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for improved imaging.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a BD-SD-OCT system utilizing three optical fiber couplers.
• Simultaneous acquisition of two phase-opposed interference spectra using a single line-scan camera.
• Comparative analysis against conventional unbalanced detection SD-OCT systems.

Main Results:

• The developed BD-SD-OCT system demonstrated a significant improvement in SNR, ranging from 5.4 to 6 dB.
• Effective suppression of AC artifacts was achieved, with reductions of 5 to 10 dB.
• In vivo imaging of human nail folds and retinas confirmed the enhanced imaging quality.

Conclusions:

• The BD-SD-OCT system offers superior performance over conventional methods.
• This technology effectively reduces artifacts and boosts SNR in OCT imaging.
• The system shows promise for advanced biomedical imaging applications, particularly in ophthalmology and dermatology.