Quantitative cerebral blood flow imaging with extended-focus optical coherence microscopy

Validation of red blood cell flux and velocity estimations based on optical coherence tomography intensity fluctuations

We present a validation of red blood cell flux and speed measurements based on the passage of erythrocytes through the OCT’s focal volume. We compare the performance of the so-called RBC-passage OCT technique to co-localized and simultaneously acquired two-photon excitation fluorescence microscopy (TPEF) measurements. Using concurrent multi-modal imaging, we show that fluctuations in the OCT signal display highly similar features to TPEF time traces. Furthermore, we demonstrate an overall difference in RBC flux and speed of 2.5 ± 3.27 RBC/s and 0.12 ± 0.67 mm/s (mean ± S.D.), compared to TPEF. The analysis also revealed that the OCT RBC flux estimation is most accurate between 20 RBC/s to 60 RBC/s, and is severely underestimated at fluxes beyond 80 RBC/s. Lastly, our analysis shows that the RBC speed estimations increase in accuracy as the speed decreases, reaching a difference of 0.16 ± 0.25 mm/s within the 0–0.5 mm/s speed range.

Optical coherence tomography velocimetry based on decorrelation estimation of phasor pair ratios (DEPPAIR)

Quantitative velocity estimations in optical coherence tomography requires the estimation of the axial and lateral flow components. Optical coherence tomography measures the depth resolved complex field reflected from a sample. While the axial velocity component can be determined from the Doppler shift or phase shift between a pair of consecutive measurements at the same location, the estimation of the lateral component for in vivo applications is still challenging. One approach to determine lateral velocity is multiple simultaneous measurements at different angles. In another approach the lateral component can be retrieved through repeated measurements at (nearly) the same location by an analysis of the decorrelation over time. In this paper we follow the latter approach. We describe a model for the complex field changes between consecutive measurements and use it to predict the uncertainties for amplitude-based, phase-based and complex algorithms. The uncertainty of the flow estimations follows from a statistical analysis and is determined by the number of available measurements and the applied analysis method. The model is verified in phantom measurements and the dynamic range of velocity estimations is investigated. We demonstrate that phase-based and complex (phasor) based lateral flow estimation methods are superior to amplitude-based algorithms.

Precision analysis and optimization in phase decorrelation OCT velocimetry

Quantitative flow velocimetry in Optical Coherence Tomography is used to determine both the axial and lateral flow component at the level of individual voxels. The lateral flow is determined by analyzing the statistical properties of reflected electro-magnetic fields for repeated measurements at (nearly) the same location. The precision or statistical fluctuation of the quantitative velocity estimation depends on the number of repeated measurements and the method to determine quantitative flow velocity. In this paper, both a method to determine quantitative flow velocity and a model for the prediction of the statistical fluctuations of velocity estimations are developed to analyze and optimize the estimation precision for phase-based velocimetry methods. The method and model are validated by phantom measurements in a bulk scattering medium as well as in intralipid solution in a capillary. Based on the model, the number of repeated measurements to achieve a certain velocimetry precision is predicted.

Computationally effective 2D and 3D fast phase unwrapping algorithms and their applications to Doppler optical coherence tomography

We propose a simplification for a robust and easy to implement fast phase unwrapping (FPU) algorithm that is used to solve the phase wrapping problem encountered in various fields of optical imaging and metrology. We show that the number of necessary computations using the algorithm can be reduced compared to its original version. FPU can be easily extended from two to three spatial dimensions. We demonstrate the applicability of the two- and three-dimensional FPU algorithm for Doppler optical coherence tomography (DOCT) in numerical simulations, and in the imaging of a flow phantom and blood flow in the human retina in vivo. We introduce an FPU applicability plot for use as a guide in the selection of the most suitable version of the algorithm depending on the phase noise in the acquired data. This plot uses the circular standard deviation of the wrapped phase distribution as a measure of noise and relates it to the root-mean-square error of the recovered, unwrapped phase.

Wide dynamic range high-speed three-dimensional quantitative OCT angiography with a hybrid-beam scan

We demonstrate a novel hybrid-beam scanning-based quantitative optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) that provides high-speed wide dynamic range blood flow speed imaging. The hybrid-beam scanning scheme enables multiple OCTA image acquisitions with a wide range of multiple time intervals simultaneously providing wide dynamic range blood flow speed imaging independent of the blood vessel orientation, which was quantified over a speed range of 0.6∼104  mm/s through the blood flow phantom experiments. A fully automated high-speed hybrid-beam scanning-based quantitative OCTA system demonstrates visualization of blood flow speeds in various vessels from the main arteries to capillaries in a 4  mm×4  mm area (1024 A-lines × 512 B-scans) in vivo in 20 s, showing its potential as a useful imaging tool for various biomedical applications.

Interferometric synthetic aperture microscopy for extended focus optical coherence microscopy

Optical coherence microscopy (OCM) is an interferometric technique providing 3D images of biological samples with micrometric resolution and penetration depth of several hundreds of micrometers. OCM differs from optical coherence tomography (OCT) in that it uses a high numerical aperture (NA) objective to achieve high lateral resolution. However, the high NA also reduces the depth-of-field (DOF), scaling with 1/NA². Interferometric synthetic aperture microscopy (ISAM) is a computed imaging technique providing a solution to this trade-off between resolution and DOF. An alternative hardware method to achieve an extended DOF is to use a non-Gaussian illumination. Extended focus OCM (xfOCM) uses a Bessel beam to obtain a narrow and extended illumination volume. xfOCM detects back-scattered light using a Gaussian mode in order to maintain good sensitivity. However, the Gaussian detection mode limits the DOF. In this work, we present extended ISAM (xISAM), a method combining the benefits of both ISAM and xfOCM. xISAM uses the 3D coherent transfer function (CTF) to generalize the ISAM algorithm to different system configurations. We demonstrate xISAM both on simulated and experimental data, showing that xISAM attains a combination of high transverse resolution and extended DOF which has so far been unobtainable through conventional ISAM or xfOCM individually.

Optical Coherence Microscopy

The present chapter aims at demonstrating the capabilities of optical coherence microscopy (OCM) for applications in biomedical imaging. We furthermore review the functional imaging capabilities of OCM focusing on lable-free optical angiography. We conclude with a section on digital wavefront control and a short outlook on future developments, in particular for contrast enhancement techniques.

Three-dimensional multi-contrast imaging of in vivo human skin by Jones matrix optical coherence tomography

A custom made dermatological Jones matrix optical coherence tomography (JM-OCT) is presented. It uses a passive-polarization-delay component based swept-source JM-OCT configuration, but is specially designed for in vivo human skin measurement. The center wavelength of its probe beam is 1310 nm and the A-line rate is 49.6 kHz. The JM-OCT is capable of simultaneously providing birefringence (local retardation) tomography, degree-of-polarization-uniformity tomography, complex-correlation-based optical coherence angiography, and conventional scattering OCT. To evaluate the performance of this JM-OCT, we measured in vivo human skin at several locations. Using the four kinds of OCT contrasts, the morphological characteristics and optical properties of different skin types were visualized.

Statistical parametric mapping of stimuli evoked changes in total blood flow velocity in the mouse cortex obtained with extended-focus optical coherence microscopy

Functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) imaging is the current gold-standard in neuroimaging. fMRI exploits local changes in blood oxygenation to map neuronal activity over the entire brain. However, its spatial resolution is currently limited to a few hundreds of microns. Here we use extended-focus optical coherence microscopy (xfOCM) to quantitatively measure changes in blood flow velocity during functional hyperaemia at high spatio-temporal resolution in the somatosensory cortex of mice. As optical coherence microscopy acquires hundreds of depth slices simultaneously, blood flow velocity measurements can be performed over several vessels in parallel. We present the proof-of-principle of an optimised statistical parametric mapping framework to analyse quantitative blood flow timetraces acquired with xfOCM using the general linear model. We demonstrate the feasibility of generating maps of cortical hemodynamic reactivity at the capillary level with optical coherence microscopy. To validate our method, we exploited 3 stimulation paradigms, covering different temporal dynamics and stimulated limbs, and demonstrated its repeatability over 2 trials, separated by a week.

Extended-focus optical coherence microscopy for high-resolution imaging of the murine brain

We propose a new method and optical instrumentation for mouse brain imaging based on extended-focus optical coherence microscopy. This in vivo imaging technique allows the evaluation of the cytoarchitecture at cellular level and the circulation system dynamics in three dimensions. This minimally invasive and non-contact approach is performed without the application of contrasting agents. The optical design achieved a resolution of 2.2 μm over a distance of 800 μm, which was sufficient to obtain a detailed three-dimensional image of a wild-type mouse's brain down to the layer III of the cortex. Intrinsically contrasted microvessels and structures similar to the bodies of neurons were distinguishable.

Label-free fast 3D coherent imaging reveals pancreatic islet micro-vascularization and dynamic blood flow

In diabetes, pancreatic β-cells play a key role. These cells are clustered within structures called islets of Langerhans inside the pancreas and produce insulin, which is directly secreted into the blood stream. The dense vascularization of islets of Langerhans is critical for maintaining a proper regulation of blood glucose homeostasis and is known to be affected from the early stage of diabetes. The deep localization of these islets inside the pancreas in the abdominal cavity renders their in vivo visualization a challenging task. A fast label-free imaging method with high spatial resolution is required to study the vascular network of islets of Langerhans. Based on these requirements, we developed a label-free and three-dimensional imaging method for observing islets of Langerhans using extended-focus Fourier domain Optical Coherence Microscopy (xfOCM). In addition to structural imaging, this system provides three-dimensional vascular network imaging and dynamic blood flow information within islets of Langerhans. We propose our method to deepen the understanding of the interconnection between diabetes and the evolution of the islet vascular network.

Combined Optical Coherence and Fluorescence Microscopy to assess dynamics and specificity of pancreatic beta-cell tracers

The identification of a beta-cell tracer is a major quest in diabetes research. However, since MRI, PET and SPECT cannot resolve individual islets, optical techniques are required to assess the specificity of these tracers. We propose to combine Optical Coherence Microscopy (OCM) with fluorescence detection in a single optical platform to facilitate these initial screening steps from cell culture up to living rodents. OCM can image islets and vascularization without any labeling. Thereby, it alleviates the need of both genetically modified mice to detect islets and injection of external dye to reveal vascularization. We characterized Cy5.5-exendin-3, an agonist of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP1R), for which other imaging modalities have been used and can serve as a reference. Cultured cells transfected with GLP1R and incubated with Cy5.5-exendin-3 show full tracer internalization. We determined that a dose of 1 μg of Cy5.5-exendin-3 is sufficient to optically detect in vivo the tracer in islets with a high specificity. In a next step, time-lapse OCM imaging was used to monitor the rapid and specific tracer accumulation in murine islets and its persistence over hours. This optical platform represents a versatile toolbox for selecting beta-cell specific markers for diabetes research and future clinical diagnosis.

Dark-field polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) is a functional OCT providing both structural and birefringent information of the sample, and it has been applied to the studies of various organs having polarization properties. Fiber-based PS-OCT is sensitive to specular reflection from the sample surface, because signal saturation due to the strong specular reflection can make the polarization measurement difficult. We developed a dark-field PS-OCT which can avoid the specular reflection problem. Dark-field PS-OCT was implemented by adapting a hybrid method of Bessel-beam illumination and Gaussian-beam detection, and a PS-OCT method based on passive delay unit (PDU). The new system was characterized in comparison with the conventional Gaussian-beam based method in both polarization components and various samples including the human skin. Dark-field PS-OCT performed as good as the conventional PS-OCT without the specular reflection artifact. Dark-field PS-OCT may be useful in practical situations where the specular reflection is unavoidable.

Capturing structure and function in an embryonic heart with biophotonic tools

Disturbed cardiac function at an early stage of development has been shown to correlate with cellular/molecular, structural as well as functional cardiac anomalies at later stages culminating in the congenital heart defects (CHDs) that present at birth. While our knowledge of cellular and molecular steps in cardiac development is growing rapidly, our understanding of the role of cardiovascular function in the embryo is still in an early phase. One reason for the scanty information in this area is that the tools to study early cardiac function are limited. Recently developed and adapted biophotonic tools may overcome some of the challenges of studying the tiny fragile beating heart. In this chapter, we describe and discuss our experience in developing and implementing biophotonic tools to study the role of function in heart development with emphasis on optical coherence tomography (OCT). OCT can be used for detailed structural and functional studies of the tubular and looping embryo heart under physiological conditions. The same heart can be rapidly and quantitatively phenotyped at early and again at later stages using OCT. When combined with other tools such as optical mapping (OM) and optical pacing (OP), OCT has the potential to reveal in spatial and temporal detail the biophysical changes that can impact mechanotransduction pathways. This information may provide better explanations for the etiology of the CHDs when interwoven with our understanding of morphogenesis and the molecular pathways that have been described to be involved. Future directions for advances in the creation and use of biophotonic tools are discussed.

Maximum likelihood Doppler frequency estimation under decorrelation noise for quantifying flow in optical coherence tomography

Recent hardware advances in optical coherence tomography (OCT) have led to ever higher A-scan rates. However, the estimation of blood flow axial velocities is limited by the presence and type of noise. Higher acquisition rates alone do not necessarily enable precise quantification of Doppler velocities, particularly if the estimator is suboptimal. In previous work, we have shown that the Kasai autocorrelation estimator is statistically suboptimal under conditions of additive white Gaussian noise. In addition, for practical OCT measurements of flow, decorrelation noise affects Doppler frequency estimation by broadening the signal spectrum. Here, we derive a general maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) for Doppler frequency estimation that takes into account additive white noise as well as signal decorrelation. We compare the decorrelation MLE with existing techniques using simulated and flow phantom data and find that it has better performance, achieving the Cramer-Rao lower bound. By making an approximation, we also provide an interpretation of this method in the Fourier domain. We anticipate that this estimator will be particularly suited for estimating blood flow in in vivo scenarios.