High-precision endoscopic optical coherence elastography with a miniaturized catheter for in vivo assessment of...

High-sensitivity detection of subtle endometrial elasticity changes may provide complementary biomechanical information to enhance the assessment of benign uterine diseases within the confined uterine cavity. We report a high-precision endoscopic optical coherence elastography (E-OCE) system that integrates excitation and detection into a 0.75 mm-outer-diameter probe, enabling minimally invasive transcervical intrauterine imaging in small animals without laparotomy. A λ-triggered depth-correlated phase-correction method reduces the minimum detectable elasticity change from 6.3% to 1.3%. Agar phantoms show close agreement with mechanical testing, and in vivo rat imaging effectively resolves graded endometrial injury. These pilot results suggest that a miniature intrauterine E-OCE system can resolve graded endometrial injury in the rat model, providing a basis for further preclinical investigation of endometrial biomechanical imaging.