Abstract
Cross-sectional visualisation of the cellular and subcellular structures of human atherosclerosis in vivo is significant, as this disease is fundamentally caused by abnormal processes that occur at this scale in a depth-dependent manner. However, due to the inherent resolution-depth of focus tradeoff of conventional focusing optics, today’s highest-resolution intravascular imaging technique, namely, optical coherence tomography (OCT), is unable to provide cross-sectional images at this resolution through a coronary catheter. Here, we introduce an intravascular imaging system and catheter based on few-mode interferometry, which overcomes the depth of focus limitation of conventional high-numerical-aperture objectives and enables three-dimensional cellular-resolution intravascular imaging in vivo by a submillimetre diameter, flexible catheter. Images of diseased cadaver human coronary arteries and living rabbit arteries were acquired with this device, showing clearly resolved cellular and subcellular structures within the artery wall, such as individual crystals, smooth muscle cells, and inflammatory cells. The capability of this technology to enable cellular-resolution, cross-sectional intravascular imaging will make it possible to study and diagnose human coronary disease with much greater precision in the future.
Highlights
Optical coherence tomography (OCT)[1] is a mainstream cross-sectional, reflectance imaging technique that has found clinical utility for imaging a diverse range of human tissues, including those of the luminal organs inside the body[2]
Since individual cells and subcellular structures are at the very foundation of the pathobiology of human disease[9], substantial efforts have been made to increase the lateral resolution of OCT probes by at least an order of magnitude so that features at this scale can be visualised
With further exploration of the unique propagation properties of coaxially focused multimode beams and their applications for in vivo imaging, here, we describe a few-mode interferometry-based intravascular imaging system with a greatly extended DOF that allows crosssectional imaging at cellular resolution (~3 μm) over a depth range of more than 1 mm
Summary
Optical coherence tomography (OCT)[1] is a mainstream cross-sectional, reflectance imaging technique that has found clinical utility for imaging a diverse range of human tissues, including those of the luminal organs inside the body[2]. Since individual cells and subcellular structures are at the very foundation of the pathobiology of human disease[9], substantial efforts have been made to increase the lateral resolution of OCT probes by at least an order of magnitude so that features at this scale can be visualised. This technical feat has been a daunting task and heretofore has not been realised in small-diameter, flexible probes in a practical and reliable manner
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