Polarization-artifact reduction and accuracy improvement of Jones-matrix polarization-sensitive optical coherence...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Medical Imaging Technology
• Optical Physics

Background:

• Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) is valuable for differentiating tissue properties.
• Multiple scattering (MS) signals in PS-OCT reduce the accuracy of quantitative polarization measurements.
• Existing methods struggle to effectively mitigate MS-induced artifacts in deep tissue imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel method for reducing multiple scattering (MS) signals in Jones matrix PS-OCT.
• To enhance the quantitative polarization measurement accuracy of PS-OCT, particularly in deeper tissue regions.
• To mitigate MS-induced artifacts for improved biomedical imaging applications.

Main Methods:

• A method was developed to suppress MS signals by averaging multiple Jones matrix volumes.
• Focus position modulation was used to decorrelate MS signals across averaged volumes.
• Computational refocusing maintained consistency of single scattering signals for accurate analysis.

Main Results:

• The proposed method effectively reduced artifacts in birefringence measurements.
• Degree-of-polarization uniformity measurements showed significant improvement, especially in deeper sample regions.
• Validation using a scattering phantom and a medaka fish confirmed the method's efficacy.

Conclusions:

• The developed technique provides a practical solution for mitigating MS-induced artifacts in PS-OCT.
• This method significantly improves the quantitative polarization measurement accuracy of PS-OCT.
• Enhanced PS-OCT imaging offers greater potential for accurate tissue property differentiation in biomedical applications.