MIT Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

Biomedical Imaging Using Optical Coherence Tomography

James G. Fujimoto
MIT, EECS and RLE

Monday, March 15, 1999
4:00 PM (refreshments 3:45)
Edgerton Hall, Room 34-101
EECS Colloquium

Abstract

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a recently developed optical imaging technique that uses low coherence interferometry to perform high resolution, cross-sectional imaging of microstructure in biological systems. OCT performs imaging by measuring the optical backscattering of tissue as a function of depth and transverse position. The resulting two dimensional data set can be displayed as a gray scale or a false color image. We describe recent advances in technologies for optical coherence tomography and in vitro and in vivo studies.

Using solid state modelocked laser sources such as titanium sapphire (~800 nm) and chromium forsterite (~1.3 um), which can provide both short coherence lengths and high powers, micron scale resolution and high speed imaging may be achieved. OCT imaging has been integrated with microscopy to perform imaging of specimens in vitro. A prototype single mode fiber optic catheter/endoscope with a diameter of 1 mm has been developed which can transluminally image internal tissue structures such as the respiratory tract, the gastrointestinal tract and arteries. OCT is a promising and powerful medical imaging technique because it can perform "optical biopsy" to permit the in situ visualization of tissue microstructure without the need to excise a specimen as in conventional biopsy and histopathology.