OCT系统对人体牙齿组织的非失真成像深度的研究

利用基于蒙特卡罗方法的牙组织光学相干层析(OCT)成像模型,研究了不同牙组织的OCT非失真成像深度。通过模拟入射高斯光束以及光在牙组织中的传输,分别获得了单层牙釉质、单层牙本质以及两层牙组织结构的二维仿真OCT图像,与实验结果具有定性的一致性。通过分析二维仿真OCT图像所对应的一维OCT信号,分别得到了三种牙组织结构的平均非失真成像光学深度。研究结果表明,OCT系统对牙齿组织的非失真成像光学深度在150~2400μm之间,其中牙釉质的非失真成像深度要远大于牙本质的成像深度。所得的结果对于在实验中利用OCT图像对组织结构有效信息进行判断具有一定的参考价值。     

光学相干层析成像技术原理及研究进展

光学相干层析成像(Optical Coherence Tomography,OCT)是一种基于低相干光干涉原理,利用样品背散/反射光与参考光相干的非接触非侵入性的新型成像技术,可提供具有微米级分辨率的一维深度,二维截面层析和三维立体的实时扫描图像。OCT技术具有非接触、无损伤、图像分辨率高且操作简单、便携等优点,主要应用于生物医学成像和诊断领域,弥补了共聚焦显微镜成像穿透深度低和超声波成像分辨率低的不足。目前,OCT技术已作为诊断视网膜疾病的临床标准,而且OCT技术结合内窥镜技术已成为临床上心血管及肠胃疾病诊断的重要工具,同时也为肌肉骨骼疾病,乃至癌症早期诊断、手术指导及术后康复提供依据。为了拓宽OCT技术的应用范围、提高医疗检测水平,研究人员正致力于增加OCT系统在生物组织中的穿透深度、提高系统的分辨率和信噪比、优化系统综合性能等方面的研究。本文论述了OCT系统的原理、分类,以及其在不同生物医学领域的应用及最新进展。     

透明剂对生物组织光学相干层析成像的影响研究

生物组织光透明技术针对生物组织具有的高散射及浑浊特性,严重影响生物组织成像的对比度及分辨率等问题,提供了较好的解决办法。把离体猪皮表面涂抹不同浓度的聚乙二醇、甘油、丙二醇这些光学透明剂(Optical Clearing Agents, OCA),利用光学相干断层析(Optical Coherence Tomography, OCT)技术对其进行动态监测,有效地提取测量信号在渗透过程中随测量深度的变化。结果表明,利用光透明技术均可增加OCT的成像深度,但对于不同OCA不同深度的作用效果不同。该研究为了解OCA浓度及作用时间对于不同深度最优选择,提供有价值的数据参考,进一步理解了OCA的作用机制,对于OCA在医学方面的应用有一定的指导作用。     

正向切片光学相干断层成像系统的信号提取方法

光学相干断层成像(OCT)技术因非入侵、非接触特点和断层成像能力,在眼科、血管内窥等临床医学与药物学中有广泛应用。OCT发展至今,根据成像方向的优先次序,产生了两类技术分支。一类是沿光束入射方向逐线(A-line)扫描的标准型OCT,可生成基于纵向断面扫描(B scan)的图像,常用于眼底组织的层析成像;另一类en-face OCT,也叫正向切片OCT,可在与入射光垂直的方向上生成样品层的横向切片图像,且以显微成像方式来显示生物组织的精细结构,大大丰富了OCT的图像采集与呈现方式。en-face OCT系统可采用不同的信号采集方式,在对其分析和归纳的基础上,对该技术的主要发展方向作了展望。     

基于蒙特卡罗模拟的超声辅助OCT成像研究

通过蒙特卡罗模拟方法研究了超声波提高OCT成像质量的机理,以宏观经典理论和微观量子理论分别阐述了光和超声的相互作用,建立了存在超声辅助时光在生物组织中传播的模型,模拟了有超声辅助和无超声辅助两种情况下生物组织多次散射光的分布.模拟结果表明,与光平行射入生物组织的超声波能够使OCT成像系统中的多次散射光降低80%,携带组织信息的单次散射光在组织返回光中所占比重增大为无超声辅助时的2倍,从而增大了OCT成像的探测深度及图像对比度.     

基于傅里叶域的全眼OCT成像技术

为了精确的检测眼部疾病造成的整个眼睛形状和尺寸的变化,需要对全眼深度进行高分辨率成像。光学相干层析(OCT)技术作为一种非接触、无损伤高分辨成像技术成为近年来在眼科临床检测及机理研究的有力工具。然而传统的傅里叶域光学相干断层扫描(FD-OCT)受其成像深度的限制不能实现全眼成像。随着OCT技术的发展,成像深度不断提高,近年来逐步实现了全眼OCT成像,并被成功应用于全眼参数测量的研究中。本文全面介绍了全眼FD-OCT技术的发展和应用,重点阐述了频域OCT(SD-COT)和扫描光源OCT(SS-OCT)的最新发展。研究表明,全眼OCT技术对眼睛病理变化的检测有潜在的临床应用价值,并为研究眼部调节、眼部生长以及生物统计学提供了强有力的成像方法。     

复谱频域OCT成像的研究

采用频域技术的OCT系统，深度扫描信息由背向散射光谱的傅立叶反变换获得，简化了轴向扫描过程，从而使快速OCT成像成为可能．为了实现复杂生物组织的OCT快速成像，消除谱频域OCT的“混叠”现象、重建样品的真实层析结构，本文引入了相移干涉技术，构建了一套满量程复谱频域OCT实验系统，并为系统设计了特殊的分束镜和移相器，为最终实现复杂生物组织的OCT快速成像提供了条件．     

光学相干断层扫描成像新技术OCT

光学相干层析成像技术（optical coherence tomography,简称OCT）是一种新型成像方法,在生物医学和材料等许多领域有广泛的应用。本文介绍了OCT的基本原理,并给出了用该装置对生物组织样品的成像结果。此外还用计算机图像处理的方法,使得图像分辨率得到了进一步提高。     

宽场光学相干断层成像系统的三维显微成像

宽场相干断层成像技术（WFOCT）具有提高OCT系统的扫描速率和实现高分辨率的三维显微技术等优点,成为当前研究的热点。本文阐述了WFOCT的基本原理,利用八步移相法重建出玻璃物体微细结构的断层图像,研究了宽场OCT系统对玻璃材料的纵向分辨率和探测深度,其中探测深度可达3.3 mm。在获得多幅断层图像的基础上,利用VC6.0和OpenGL混合编程,采用移动立方体（MC）算法重建出玻璃物体微细结构的三维图像。实验结果表明,WFOCT系统不但能够在生物组织检测等医学方面得到应用,而且对反射率较高的物体能够完成三维形貌显微成像探测和深度探测。     

扫频光学相干层析成像应用于判断黏液型胃癌边界区域

为了在癌症外科手术中提供实时反馈,更精确地切除癌症组织,从而在术中导航领域展现应用潜力,利用光学相干层析成像(OCT)系统对39例胃癌患者肿瘤组织成像,并与对应位置的病理切片进行对比。结果表明:有效的38个病例的OCT图像能清晰地分辨癌症组织与正常组织的差别,其中有4例黏液型胃癌,黏液型胃癌的肿瘤分泌的黏液会破坏胃组织的层状结构,导致纹理紊乱,黏膜残缺;黏液对光的背向散射更弱以及与黏膜组织的背向散射对比相差更大使得黏液型胃癌的OCT图像成像更清晰,B型超声扫描(B-scan)的OCT图像能够分辨该种类型癌症的边界区域;将B-scan的OCT图像进行三维(3D)重建后显示整个成像区域的体结构,经过表面展平后提取深度方向上不同层的切面图像,提供了另一维度视角观察胃癌组织的边界区域,与B-scan图像交叉验证可以显示优异的区分效果。     

The characteristics of three-dimensional skin imaging system by full-colored optical coherence tomography

In the present cosmetic market, the skin image obtained from a hand-held camera is two-dimensional (2-D). Due to insufficient penetration, only the skin surface can be detected, and thus phenomena in the dermis cannot be observed. To take the place of the conventional 2D camera, a new hand-held imaging system is proposed for three-dimensional (3-D) skin imaging. Featuring non-invasiveness, optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become one of the popular medical imaging techniques. The dermal images shown in OCT-related reports were mainly single-colored because of the use of a monotonic light source. With three original-colored beams applied in OCT, a full-colored image can be derived for dermatology. The penetration depth of the system ranges from 0.43 to 0.78 mm, sufficient for imaging of main tissues in the dermis. Colorful and non-invasive perspectives of deep dermal structure help to advance skin science, dermatology and cosmetology.     

聚吡咯修饰的金纳米棒对肿瘤的光学相干层析成像的影响

聚吡咯(PPy)制备简单、生物相容性好,且在近红外(NIR)光谱范围内有很强的吸收,可作为一种良好的光热治疗试剂;同时,其NIR光吸收性质也可用于增强光学相干层析成像(OCT)的对比效果。因此,采用PPy对传统的OCT对比试剂——金纳米棒(GNR)进行表面修饰,有望获得对比效果更好且生物毒性较小的新型OCT对比试剂。选用吡咯为起始原料,在GNR表面进行一步简单的氧化聚合反应即可制备得到PPy修饰的金纳米棒(GNR-PPy)。利用紫外-可见吸收光谱,拉曼光谱和透射电子显微镜对制备的样品进行了分析和表征。构建小鼠荷瘤模型,以研究GNR-PPy对肿瘤OCT图像对比度的增强效果。采用中心波长为840 nm的OCT系统对注射了纳米粒子的肿瘤区域进行OCT成像。结果表明,肿瘤组织注射了GNR-PPy后,OCT信号衰减非常明显;与注射了GNR的OCT图像相比,840 nm光在GNR-PPy的OCT图像中的穿透深度明显更低。从OCT图像中抽提出一维的衰减曲线对OCT图像进行定量分析,发现注射有GNR-PPy肿瘤组织的OCT信号衰减系数明显高于注射了GNR的组织。表明,相对于GNR,GNR-PPy具有更好的OCT信号对比效果,这在增强肿瘤成像效果方面具有潜在应用价值。     

Imaging of subcutaneous blood vessels and flow velocity profiles by optical coherence tomography

We have applied a compact low power rapid scanning Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography system to monitor multi-dimensional velocity profiles within the complex vessels and simultaneous real-time non-invasive imaging of skin tissues morphology in vivo, in the wavelength range of 1.3–1.5 nm. Optical clearing of skin tissues has been utilized to achieve depth of OCT images up to 1.7 mm. Current approach enables applying low-power (0.4–0.5 mW) and low-noise broadband near-infrared light sources and obtaining OCT images with down to 12 μm spatial resolution. Two-dimensional time-domain OCT images of complex flow velocity profiles in blood vessel phantom and in vivo subcutaneous human skin tissues are presented. The effect of optical clearing on in vivo images is demonstrated and discussed.     

Attenuation compensation for optical coherence tomography imaging

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive technique that provides micrometer-scale imaging of tissue. As most biological tissues are considered turbid, it causes attenuation of the OCT signal and limits the depth penetration. Although a few algorithms had been developed to compensate the attenuation, almost all of them need to extract the scattering parameters before doing the compensation procedure. Because the real biological samples are anisotropic and multilayer-like structure, it is not time-efficient to model and solve these scattering parameters. This paper introduces a new method to compensate the OCT signal attenuation in depth. By analyzing the input signal, a compensation function is adaptively derived for each A-scan line, which can be used effectively to compensate the energy loss in the large sections and enhance the details in the deep, dark-like areas. Three bio-samples, a piece of onion, a Poecilia Wingei fish and a piece of rabbit abdominal aorta, were used to test our method. OCT images obtained by a swept-source OCT system were processed by the proposed method. Results show the visualization of structures in OCT images has been evidently improved, especially in deep region.     

皮肤组织容积脉搏波400~1000 nm光谱特性仿真研究

根据皮肤组织解剖结构特性建立了六层层状模型,并给出了皮肤组织各层的特性参数;考虑了氧合血红蛋白和还原血红蛋白的吸收特性,依据皮肤组织各层的水、血、脂肪、血氧饱和度含量以及血管大小给出了皮肤组织各层的光谱吸收系数;对不同波长散射系数做了适当简化,给出了皮肤组织各层的光谱散射系数。利用蒙特卡罗方法仿真血管组织在收缩与舒张两种状态下, 400~1 000 nm波长光在皮肤组织多层模型中的传输过程,并通过统计大量光子的分布特性,获得了皮肤组织光谱反射系数,并利用模拟所得的两种状态下的反射系数计算得到了光谱容积脉搏波幅度。仿真结果表明,当入射光强一定时,绿光的容积脉搏波幅度优于红光和蓝光。通过计算不同波长光沿皮肤组织深度方向光能流率衰减为1/e时对应的皮肤组织深度,获得了皮肤组织光谱穿透深度。结果显示,血管舒张状态下蓝光和绿光的穿透深度较小,蓝光大部分只能达到表皮层,绿光能到达微循环层,红光可直达真皮层。考虑到光在皮肤组织中传播包含了一个从收缩到舒张的动态过程,基于此,根据穿透深度定义了脉搏波信号产生深度,利用血管舒张与收缩两种不同状态下的穿透深度计算得到了光谱产生深度。结果表明,不同波长光产生深度大于其穿透深度,蓝光产生深度较浅,且其受到的血液吸收调制较小,因而其获得的脉搏信号易受噪声干扰;红光的容积脉搏波产生深度较大,但是相比于绿光其受血液吸收调制较小,且绿光产生深度足够达到真皮血管层,因而红光容积脉搏波的幅度小于绿光。上述仿真结果明确了皮肤组织部分光谱特性,为皮肤组织多光谱容积脉搏波的精确获取及其他相关研究提供了一定的理论基础。     

拉曼高光谱成像系统中光在奶粉层的穿透深度研究

拉曼高光谱成像技术不仅可以获取样本的空间分布信息,图像上每个像素点还包括了完整的光谱信息,因其信息量丰富的特点已在食品安全检测方面得到了应用。本研究探索拉曼高光谱成像系统中光在奶粉层中的穿透深度,以及采集参数和奶粉类型对穿透深度的影响。实验选取均匀奶粉层样品放置于厚度为5 mm的三聚氰胺样本之上,检测奶粉层厚度为0.8～4.0 mm时的三聚氰胺特征峰强度,以此评估光在奶粉层中的穿透性和信号衰减情况。结果显示当奶粉层厚度一定时,随着激光功率变大,拉曼特征峰值随之增加,此外更长的曝光时间也可以使拉曼信号得到增强。在激光功率不小于2 W且曝光时间不小于500 ms时,光在全脂奶粉层的穿透深度可达4 mm。奶粉层厚度在0.8～4.0 mm范围内,穿透奶粉层的拉曼信号随着奶粉层厚度增加呈指数式衰减。在激光功率为8 W、曝光时间为1 000 ms的条件下,光在全脂、低脂和脱脂奶粉层的穿透深度均达到了4 mm。在相同测量厚度下,通过脱脂奶粉层接收的拉曼信号弱于通过全脂和低脂奶粉层接收的拉曼信号强度。研究结果为拉曼高光谱检测中奶粉样品的前处理提供了有益参考。     

利用变迹术和相干门相结合实现光学相干层析成像术轴向超分辨

光学相十层析成像（光学相干层析成像术）的轴向分辨力由光源带宽和探测光束的聚焦条件共同决定。提高光学相干层析成像术轴向分辨力的方法主要基于带宽光源技术。提出了一种将变迹术与光学相十层析成像术相干门有机结合的方法来提高其轴向分辨力。通过适当形式的光瞳滤波器．使光学相干层析成像术系统轴向响应的主瓣宽度缩小到相干门之内,而其旁瓣则处于相干门之外．不对相干成像产生有效贡献。这样．就能在光源带宽不变的条件下,有效提高光学相十层析成像术的轴向分辨力,避免了采用宽带光源所带来的费用昂贵和系统复杂等缺陷。     

Deep tissue microscopic imaging of the kidney with a gradient-index lens system

Intravital microscopy using two-photon excitation is proven to be a valuable tool for studying the kidney and associated disease processes. However, routine performance of intravital kidney imaging is limited by the fact that fluorescence signal is attenuated by the tissue and at certain tissue depth lost its strength completely. For most of the animal tissues, this finite imaging depth is limited to a few hundred microns. Currently it is not possible to non-invasively image the kidney beyond the superficial tissue layers of the cortex. This has imposed significant limitations on the animal models one can use for imaging since structure such the glomerulus is typically located below the superficial layer of the cortex that cannot be imaged using a conventional fluorescence microscope. Here we report the use of a needle-like lens system based on gradient-index (GRIN) microlenses capable of transferring high quality fluorescence images of the tissue through a regular microscope objective for deep tissue imaging of the kidney. By combining this GRIN lens system with a Zeiss LSM 510 NLO microscope, we are able to extend the depth for imaging kidney tissues far beyond the few hundred microns limit. This GRIN lens imaging system provides an alternative microendoscopic imaging tool that will enhance current intravital kidney imaging techniques for studying structural and functional properties of local tissues at locations below the superficial layers of the kidney.     

Continuous focus tracking for real-time optical coherence tomography

We report an approach to achieving continuous focus tracking and a depth-independent transverse resolution for real-time optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. Continuous real-time focus tracking is permitted by use of a lateral-priority image acquisition sequence in which the depth-scanning rate is equivalent to the imaging frame rate. Real-time OCT imaging with continuous focus tracking is performed at 1 frame/s by reciprocal translation of a rapid lateral-scanning miniature imaging probe (e.g., an endoscope). The optical path length in the reference arm is scanned synchronously to ensure that the coherence gate coincides with the imaging beam focus. The image quality improvement is experimentally demonstrated by imaging a tissue phantom embedded with polystyrene microspheres and rabbit esophageal tissues.     

In vivo bidirectional color Doppler flow imaging of picoliter blood volumes using optical coherence tomography

We describe a novel optical system for bidirectional color Doppler imaging of flow in biological tissues with micrometer-scale resolution and demonstrate its use for in vivo imaging of blood flow in an animal model. Our technique, color Doppler optical coherence tomography (CDOCT), performs spatially localized optical Doppler velocimetry by use of scanning low-coherence interferometry. CDOCT is an extension of optical coherence tomography (OCT), employing coherent signal-acquisition electronics and joint time-frequency analysis algorithms to perform flow imaging simultaneous with conventional OCT imaging. Cross-sectional maps of blood flow velocity with <50-microm spatial resolution and <0.6-mm/s velocity precision were obtained through intact skin in living hamster subdermal tissue. This technology has several potential medical applications.