Development of Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography for in vivo Functional Imaging of Biological Tissues

Optical coherence tomography is a rapidly developing optical imaging modality capable of noninvasively providing depth resolved information of biological tissue at micrometer scale. In this thesis, we described several OCT technologies that can be used to double the imaging depth, realize functional vasculature imaging of biological tissue and increase the imaging speed of OCT system.;Aim 1: Use of a scanner to introduce spatial frequency modulation to OCT spectral interferograms for in vivo full-range Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography. A novel method was developed that could easily introduce a modulation frequency onto the X-direction (i.e., B-scan) of the FDOCT scanning system, enabling full-range Fourier-domain Optical Coherence Tomography (frFDOCT). Compared to the conventional FDOCT system, the newly developed frFDOCT system can provide increased system sensitivity and deeper imaging depth. The previous technology that can achieve frFDOCT either needed multiple steps for data capturing, which is time consuming, or required additional components which increased the system's complexity. The newly developed method generates a modulation spatial frequency in the spectral interferogram by simply offsetting the probe beam at the X-scanner.;Aim 2: Using optical micro-angiography to achieve in vivo volumetric imaging of vascular perfusion within human retina and choroids. Optical Micro-Angiography (OMAG) is a functional extension of FDOCT technology. It can achieve visualization of vasculature network of biological tissue. In order to apply the OMAG method to image vasculature map of human retina and choroid, a phase compensation algorithm was developed, which could minimize the motion artifacts generated by the movements of human eye and head.;Aim 3: Developing ultrahigh sensitive optical micro-angiography to achieve micro vasculature imaging of biological tissue. To improve the vasculature image quality, we developed ultrahigh sensitive OMAG (UHS-OMAG). Unlike conventional OMAG, UHS-OMAG applied the OMAG algorithm onto the slow direction of FDOCT scan (Y-direction). Because the time interval between adjacent B-frames is much longer than that between adjacent A-lines, UHS-OMAG can achieve much higher flow sensitivity compared to the conventional OMAG. In addition, the UHS-OMAG usually employed high frame rate (typically 300 frames per second) to achieve 3D scan, it cost much less time to finish one 3D scan compared to the traditional OMAG. However, when it was applied to visualize vasculature map of human tissue, the motion artifacts caused by the inevitable movements is still the biggest challenge. Based on the phase difference calculated from two adjacent B-frames, a new phase compensation algorithm was developed.;Aim 4: Developing ultrahigh speed Spectral Domain OCT system through sequentially controlling two high speed line scan CMOS cameras. Two identical high speed line cameras were employed to build two home build high speed spectrometers. Through sequentially controlling the reading time period of two cameras, the imaging speed of the whole system could reach twice higher than the single camera system. The newly built 800 nm SDOCT system which can work at 500, 000 Hz A-lines capturing speed was then used to achieve in vivo 3D imaging in both high speed and large field of view mode. In addition, through combining with the OMAG algorithm, the newly developed system is capable of providing detailed micro-vasculature imaging of human retina and optic nerve head. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).