Abstract
.An endoscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT) system with a wide field-of-view of 8 mm is presented, which combines the image capability of endoscopic imaging at the middle ear with the advantages of functional OCT imaging, allowing a morphological and functional assessment of the human tympanic membrane. The endoscopic tube has a diameter of 3.5 mm and contains gradient-index optics for simultaneous forward-viewing OCT and video endoscopy. The endoscope allows the three-dimensional visualization of nearly the entire tympanic membrane. In addition, the oscillation of the tympanic membrane is measured spatially resolved and in the frequency range between 500 Hz and 5 kHz with 125 Hz resolution, which is realized by phase-resolved Doppler OCT imaging during acoustical excitation with chirp signals. The applicability of the OCT system is demonstrated in vivo. Due to the fast image acquisition, structural and functional measurements are only slightly affected by motion artifacts.
Highlights
The middle ear consists of the tympanic membrane and the ossicles, and ensures the transduction of sound from the auditory canal to the inner ear
The diagnosis of pathological alterations in the middle ear is carried out using otoscopy or ear microscopy, audiometry, and tympanometry in order to assess morphological and functional changes of the middle ear
An emerging technique for the investigation of the middle ear is optical coherence tomography (OCT),[1] which is already established in other biomedical disciplines, such as ophthalmology, for noninvasive imaging of near-surface tissue
Summary
The middle ear consists of the tympanic membrane and the ossicles, and ensures the transduction of sound from the auditory canal to the inner ear. An emerging technique for the investigation of the middle ear is optical coherence tomography (OCT),[1] which is already established in other biomedical disciplines, such as ophthalmology, for noninvasive imaging of near-surface tissue. OCT is an interferometric measurement technique, utilizing broadband near-infrared light for cross-sectional imaging with a high spatial resolution in the range of several micrometers. OCT can be beneficially utilized for visualizing the middle ear morphology and it allows the spatially resolved measurement of the tympanic membrane thickness.[2,3] Other studies have demonstrated that OCT can be used for imaging cholesteatoma[4] and tympanosclerosis.[5] In middle ear surgery, OCT has been utilized for the assessment of ossicles and middle ear prostheses.[6]
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