A domed window chamber for multi-modality optical imaging

Current dorsal skin flap window chambers with flat glass windows are compatible with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and multiphoton microscopy (MPM) imaging. However, light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) performs best with a cylindrical or spherical sample located between its two 90° objectives and when all sample materials have the same index of refraction (n). A modified window chamber with a domed viewing window made from fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), with n similar to water and tissue, was designed. In vitro imaging of collagen gels and microsphere phantoms with and without the dome showed small decreases in signal strength and image resolution due to the dome. Using a custom mouse platform for stabilization and anesthesia support, in vivo multimodality imaging with OCT, MPM, and LSFI was demonstrated.