Quantitative optical coherence tomography of skin lesions induced by different ultraviolet B sources

Multiparametric Quantitative Analysis of Photodamage to Skin Using Optical Coherence Tomography

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation causes 90% of photodamage to skin and long-term exposure to UV irradiation is the largest threat to skin health. To study the mechanism of UV-induced photodamage and the repair of sunburnt skin, the key problem to solve is how to non-destructively and continuously evaluate UV-induced photodamage to skin. In this study, a method to quantitatively analyze the structural and tissue optical parameters of artificial skin (AS) using optical coherence tomography (OCT) was proposed as a way to non-destructively and continuously evaluate the effect of photodamage. AS surface roughness was achieved based on the characteristic peaks of the intensity signal of the OCT images, and this was the basis for quantifying AS cuticle thickness using Dijkstra's algorithm. Local texture features within the AS were obtained through the gray-level co-occurrence matrix method. A modified depth-resolved algorithm was used to quantify the 3D scattering coefficient distribution within AS based on a single-scattering model. A multiparameter assessment of AS photodamage was carried out, and the results were compared with the MTT experiment results and H&E staining. The results of the UV photodamage experiments showed that the cuticle of the photodamaged model was thicker (56.5%) and had greater surface roughness (14.4%) compared with the normal cultured AS. The angular second moment was greater and the correlation was smaller, which was in agreement with the results of the H&E staining microscopy. The angular second moment and correlation showed a good linear relationship with the UV irradiation dose, illustrating the potential of OCT in measuring internal structural damage. The tissue scattering coefficient of AS correlated well with the MTT results, which can be used to quantify the damage to the bioactivity. The experimental results also demonstrate the anti-photodamage efficacy of the vitamin C factor. Quantitative analysis of structural and tissue optical parameters of AS by OCT enables the non-destructive and continuous detection of AS photodamage in multiple dimensions.

Differentiation between normal and tumor mammary glands with depth-resolved attenuation coefficient from optical coherence tomography

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a well-established imaging technology for high-resolution, cross-sectional imaging of biological tissues. Imaging processing and light attenuation coefficient estimation allows to further improve the OCT diagnostic capability. In this paper we use a commercial OCT system, Telesto II-1325LR from Thorlabs, and demonstrate its ability to differentiate normal and tumor mammary mouse glands with the OCT attenuation coefficient. Using several OCT images of normal and tumor mammary mouse glands (n = 26), a statistical analysis was performed. The attenuation coefficient was calculated in depth, considering a slope of 0.5 mm. The normal glands present a median attenuation coefficient of 0.403 mm^-1, comparatively to 0.561 mm^-1obtained for tumor mammary glands. This translates in an attenuation coefficient approximately 39% higher for tumor mammary glands when compared to normal mammary glands. The OCT attenuation coefficient estimation eliminates the subjective analysis provided by direct visualization of the OCT images.

Scattering coefficients of mice organs categorized pathologically by spectral domain optical coherence tomography

Differences in tissue density cause a variety of scattering coefficients. To quantify optical coherence tomography (OCT) images for diagnosis, the tissue's scattering coefficient is estimated by curve fitting the OCT signals to a confocal single backscattering mode. The results from a group of 30 mice show that the scattering coefficients of bone, skin, liver, brain, testis, and spleen can be categorized into three groups: a scattering coefficient between 1.947 and 2.134 mm⁻¹: bone and skin; a scattering coefficient between 1.303 and 1.461 mm⁻¹: liver and brain; a scattering coefficient between 0.523 and 0.634 mm⁻¹: testis and spleen. The results indicate that the scattering coefficient is tissue specific and could be used in tissue diagnosis.

Quantitative diagnosis of colorectal polyps by spectral domain optical coherence tomography

The principal aim of this study is to investigate the scattering coefficient of colorectal polyp tissues using an optical coherence tomography (OCT) technique. It combines the existing scattering coefficient model and spectral domain OCT to achieve method of early diagnosis of colorectal polyp in hospitals. Seventeen patients were studied, and a total of 1456 data points were extracted by curve-fitting the OCT signals into a confocal single-backscattering model. The results show that the mean scattering coefficient value for colorectal polyps is 1.91 mm(-1) (std: ± 0.54 mm(-1)), which is between the values for normal and malignant tissues. In addition, we studied the difference between adenomatous polyps (n = 15) and inflammatory polyps (n = 2) quantitatively and found that the adenomatous tissues had lower scattering coefficients than the inflammatory ones. The quantitative measurements confirmed that OCT can be used in primary diagnosis to compensate for the deficiencies in methods of pathological diagnosis, with a great potential for early diagnosis of tissues.

Quantitative analysis of rectal cancer by spectral domain optical coherence tomography

To quantify OCT images of rectal tissue for clinic diagnosis, the scattering coefficient of the tissue is extracted by curve fitting the OCT signals to a confocal single model. A total of 1000 measurements (half and half of normal and malignant tissues) were obtained from 16 recta. The normal rectal tissue has a larger scattering coefficient ranging from 1.09 to 5.41 mm⁻¹ with a mean value of 2.29 mm⁻¹ (std:±0.32), while the malignant group shows lower scattering property and the values ranging from 0.25 to 2.69 mm⁻¹ with a mean value of 1.41 mm⁻¹ (std:±0.18). The peri-cancer of recta has also been investigated to distinguish the difference between normal and malignant rectal tissue. The results demonstrate that the quantitative analysis of the rectal tissue can be used as a promising diagnostic criterion of early rectal cancer, which has great value for clinical medical applications.