Megahertz-rate down-sampled optical coherence tomography based on high-speed k-linear swept laser and deep learning

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Medical Imaging Technology
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• Megahertz-rate optical coherence tomography (MHz-OCT) offers ultra-high speed, non-invasive, high-resolution imaging with broad clinical applications.
• Current MHz-OCT systems face high costs due to demanding acquisition and data transmission requirements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a hardware-based down-sampling method for MHz-OCT systems.
• To reduce the cost and enhance the clinical accessibility of MHz-OCT technology.

Main Methods:

• A high-speed k-linear swept laser with an acousto-optic deflector (AOD) was utilized for hardware-based down-sampling.
• The system sweeps a narrowband spectrum, leveraging linear wavenumber characteristics for signal down-sampling.
• Deep learning algorithms were employed to reconstruct high-resolution images from the down-sampled data.

Main Results:

• High-quality imaging was successfully achieved at a 1 MHz sweep speed.
• The method enabled the use of lower bandwidth and sampling rate acquisition and data transmission systems.
• The novel system demonstrated reduced overall system cost.

Conclusions:

• The proposed down-sampled OCT system effectively reduces the cost of MHz-OCT.
• This approach promotes the popularization and wider clinical application of MHz-OCT technology.