[Research progress of optical coherence tomography in the airway]

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a specialized optical imaging technique with a history of more than 30 years, known as'optical biopsy' because of its high resolution and high sensitivity. OCT has been used in the airway for more than 20 years, and researchers have explored and improved the imaging methods of OCT in the airway, focusing mainly on expanding the imaging site and enriching the imaging content. In terms of broadening the imaging site, it covers the airway from generation 0 to 9. In terms of enriching imaging content, additional assessment of airway wall blood vessels, airway smooth muscle, fibrous tissue, and airway compliance can be performed. It plays an important role in the study of various respiratory diseases. Therefore, this paper mainly summarized the exploration of the imaging site and content of airway OCT as follows.