A Miniature Dual-Fiber Probe for Quantitative Optical Coherence Elastography.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Medical Imaging
• Biophysics

Background:

• Optical coherence elastography (OCE) offers high-resolution analysis of tissue elasticity.
• Miniaturized probes are essential for in-vivo elastography due to limited light penetration.
• Current methods using single optical fibers require precise synchronization and calibration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a miniaturized dual-fiber OCE probe for robust shear wave elastography.
• To improve the accuracy of elasticity quantification in challenging tissue environments.

Main Methods:

• A 1 mm diameter dual-fiber OCE probe was designed for robust shear wave elastography.
• Shear wave velocity was estimated between two optical fibers, independent of excitation-imaging propagation.
• The dual-fiber approach was compared to single-fiber OCE and ultrasound elastography.

Main Results:

• The dual-fiber OCE probe achieved high accuracy in quantifying local tissue elasticities.
• Mean deviations in homogeneous phantoms were 0.02 ms⁻¹ for dual-fiber vs. 0.15 ms⁻¹ for single-fiber.
• Mean deviations in inhomogeneous phantoms were 0.03 ms⁻¹ for dual-fiber vs. 0.54 ms⁻¹ for single-fiber.

Conclusions:

• The dual-fiber OCE approach provides significantly more robust elasticity quantification in inhomogeneous tissues.
• Feasibility of elasticity quantification was demonstrated in ex-vivo coronary arteries.
• This technology enables robust elasticity quantification from within the tissue.