Motion-insensitive optical coherence tomography based micro-angiography

Two-level optical coherence tomography scheme for suppressing spectral saturation artifacts

We demonstrate a novel method for reducing saturation artifacts in spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) systems. This method is based on a two-level SD-OCT system with a dual-line charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. We compensate the saturated signal detected by the first line using the unsaturated signal detected by the second line. The Fourier transform of the compensated spectrum shows effective suppression of saturation artifacts. This method was also successfully performed on phantom material and skin on a human finger. Our method causes neither back-scattering power loss nor signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) degradation. The only difference between the traditional system and our two-level system is our utilization of the dual-line CCD camera; no additional devices or complex designs are needed.

Photothermal optical coherence tomography based on the localized surface plasmon resonance of Au nanoring

The conventional optical coherence tomography (OCT) images based on enhanced scattering and the photothermal (PT) images based on enhanced absorption of the localized surface plasmon (LSP) resonance of Au nanorings (NRIs) in a bio-tissue sample are demonstrated with the scans of an OCT system (1310-nm system), in which the spectral range covers the LSP resonance peak wavelength, and another OCT system (1060-nm system), in which the spectral range is away from the LSP resonance peak wavelength. A PT image is formed by evaluating the modulation frequency (400 Hz) response of an excitation laser with its wavelength (1308 nm) close to the LSP resonance peak at 1305 nm of the Au NRI solution. With the scan of the 1310-nm OCT system, the Au NRI distribution in the bio-tissue sample can be observed in both conventional OCT and PT images. However, with the scan of the 1060-nm OCT system, the Au NRI distribution can be clearly observed only in the PT image. The diffusion process of Au NRIs in the bio-tissue sample can be traced with the scan of either OCT system. Based on phantom experiments, it is shown that the PT image can help in resolving the ambiguity of a conventional OCT image between the enhanced scattering of Au NRIs and the strong scattering of a tissue structure in the 1310-nm OCT scanning. Also, under the condition of weak intrinsic sample scattering, particularly in the scan of the 1060-nm system, the PT signal can be lower than a saturating level, which is determined by the excitation power. By increasing OCT system signal-to-noise ratio or M-mode scan time, the PT signal level can be enhanced.