We develop a 1.7-μm optical coherence tomography (OCT) system using a broadband light source based on superluminescent diodes (SLDs) and investigated the possibility of plaque detection by a spectroscopic OCT (S-OCT)
method. The SLD-based light source realizes an output power about 20mW and a 3-dB bandwidth over 120nm for
optimization of driving current in each SLD. Regarding performance of the 1.7-μm spectral-domain OCT system with
the light source, the system sensitivity is 104dB in maximum at the A-scan rate of 47kHz, which is fifty times as high as
that in the previous study with a super-continuum light source. Moreover, we perform visualization of lipid distribution
at the A-scan frame of 47kHz by an in-vitro artery model which is made of a piece of porcine coronary artery and a lardfilled
nylon tube as a plaque phantom. We confirm that the sensitivity and specificity between artery and plaque area in
optimal condition for lipid detection at a specific frame image is over 90% and there are high lipid scores at the inside of
plaque phantom in other frame images at the same condition. It indicates the possibility of plaque detection in
intravascular OCT.
We report an improved method to visualize lipid distribution in axial and lateral direction within arterial vessel walls by
spectroscopic spectral-domain Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) at 1.7μm wavelength for identification of lipidrich
plaque that is suspected to cause coronary events. In our previous method, an extended InGaAs-based line camera
detects an OCT interferometric spectrum from 1607 to 1766 nm, which is then divided into twenty subbands, and A-scan
OCT profile is calculated for each subband, resulting in a tomographic spectrum. This tomographic spectrum is
decomposed into lipid spectrum having an attenuation peak at 1730 nm and non-lipid spectrum independent of
wavelength, and the weight of each spectrum, that is, lipid and non-lipid score is calculated. In this paper, we present an
improved algorithm, in which we have combined the lipid score and the non-lipid score to derive a corrected lipid score.
We have found that the corrected lipid score is better than the raw lipid score in that the former is more robust against
false positive occurring due to abrupt change in reflectivity at vessel surface. In addition, we have optimized spatial
smoothing filter and reduced false positive and false negative due to detection noise and speckle. We have verified this
improved algorithm by the use of measuring data of normal porcine coronary artery and lard as a model of lipid-rich
plaque and confirmed that both the sensitivity and the specificity of lard are 92%.
We report a method to visualize lipid distribution in axial and lateral direction within arterial vessel walls by
spectroscopic spectral-domain Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) at 1.7 μm wavelength for identification of lipidrich
plaque. An OCT interferometric spectrum, after divided into several subbands for each of which A-scan profile is
calculated, are fitted to a model accounting the contributions from absorption and scattering, with assumption that lipid
content changes slowly in space, and lipid distribution is visualized. We investigated numerically the effects of analyzing
parameters on the performance of lipid detection using simulated OCT data, and have found optimum parameters.
We have developed a near infrared (NIR) angioscope that takes multi-wavelength images in 1.7μm band for visualizing
lipid-rich coronary plaques. The angioscope comprises light source, camera, and angioscopic catheter. The light source,
containing a supercontinuum source and a switching optical filter, emits 1.60, 1.65, 1.73 and 1.76μm wavelengths
sequentially in synchronization to the camera frame. The supercontinuum is seeded by 1.55μm wavelength pulses,
whose spectrum is spread by an optical fiber with ring loops for reducing peak power so that light in 1.7μm band is
generated efficiently. The switching filter contains 1×4 fiber-optic path switches and interferometric band-pass filters.
The camera detects NIR images by an InGaAs/GaAsSb type-II quantum well sensor at 100 frames/s. The source
wavelength and the camera frame are synchronized with each other by an FPGA. The angioscopic catheter, based on a
silica-based image-guide designed for 1.7 μm wavelength, transmits 1300-pixel NIR images and has 0.73 mm outer
diameter, which is compatible with the conventional angioscope and suited for continuous flushing to displace blood. We
have also developed image processing software that calculates spectral contribution of lipid as lipid score at each pixel
and create lipid-enhanced color images at 12 frames/s. The system also includes conventional visible light source and
camera, and takes visible light images synchronously with the lipid-enhanced images. The performance of the
angioscope for detecting lipid-rich plaque has been verified in bench tests using a plaque model made by injecting lard
into excised swine carotid arterial vessel. The plaque models are imaged in water at working distances of 0 to 2 mm, and
significantly distinguished from normal vessels.
We demonstrate visualization of lipid distribution in in-vitro artery model by 1.7-μm spectroscopic spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). In the demonstration, we measure spectral fringes by a spectrometer with an extended InGaAs line sensor and a super-continuum (SC) light source whose spectrum is arranged to have its maximum intensity in 1.7-μm band. The OCT system has an axial resolution of 21μm, a measurement range of 5mm and a sensitivity of 108dB with an A-scan rate of 0.96kHz, which is limited by the noise of the available SC light source. The in-vitro model is made by injecting lipid into swine carotid artery, which is compared to intact artery. We perform Bscan of the model in water by connecting an OCT probe to the OCT system and pulling the probe back at 0.027mm/sec with a rotation rate of 112rpm. For visualizing lipid distribution, we adopt a spectroscopic OCT algorism where the detected spectral fringe is divided into six sub-bands, the set of the sub-band A-scans are fitted to a model accounting absorption characteristics of lipid with its peak at 1726nm, and the content of lipid is estimated as lipid score. As a result, the p-value of the lipid score between normal artery and plaque one is less than 1E-10 in 1-mm depth from the surface, which is significant of visualization of lipid distribution.
The capability of Brillouin spectroscopy for diagnosis of elasticity has been investigated. Although detection of weak signal under noise is a barrier to overcome, we have shown that the stimulated scattering can be enhanced by two orders of magnitude using stimulated thermal Brillouin scattering excited at a wavelength of 1550 nm where water has a moderate absorption of 12 cm-1. While thermal lens effect might cause excess noise in a certain experimental setup, we have shown it can be circumvented by polarization modulation technique.
A novel scheme for measuring Brillouin gain spectrum distribution along an optical fiber is developed. This scheme utilizes direct frequency modulation of a laser diode for two purposes: generation of the pump and probe lightwaves, and position-selective excitation of stimulated Brillouin scattering. A laser diode is modulated with a rectangular-wave signal, so that the pump and probe lightwaves for Brillouin gain spectrum measurement are generated in time-division manner. A sinusoidal-wave signal is mixed with the modulation signal for spreading the spectra of the pump and probe lightwaves. Because of the spread spectra, stimulated Brillouin scattering occurs in a small section of the fiber where the two lightwaves are highly correlated. The Brillouin gain spectrum at the section is obtained selectively. The section to be measured is chosen by varying the period of the sinusoidal modulation. Experimental result of measurement of the Brillouin spectrum distribution with a spatial resolution of 70 cm is presented. As a comparison, another system is demonstrated, where the probe lightwave is generated by intensity modulation with LN modulator. Spatial resolution of about 6.5 cm is achieved.
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