Flexible Computationally Efficient Platform for Simulating Scan Formation in Optical Coherence Tomography with Accounting for Arbitrary Motions of Scatterers

Alexey Zykov,Alexander Sovetsky,Lev Matveev,Alexander Matveyev,Vladimir Zaitsev

doi:10.18287/jbpe21.07.010304

Alexey Zykov, Alexander Sovetsky + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.18287/jbpe21.07.010304

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Abstract

A computationally efficient and fairly realistic model of OCT-scan formation in spectral-domain optical coherence tomography is described. The model is based on the approximation of discrete scatterers and ballistic character of scattering, these approximations being widely used in literature. An important feature of the model is its ability to easily account for arbitrary scatterer motions and computationally efficiently generate large sequences of OCT scans for gradually varying configurations of scatterers. This makes the proposed simulation platform very convenient for studies related to the development of angiographic processing of OCT scans for visualization of microcirculation of blood, as well as for studies of decorrelation of speckle patterns in OCT scans due to random (Brownian type) motions of scatterers. Examples demonstrating utilization of the proposed model for generation OCT scans imitating perfused vessels in biological tissues, as well as evolution of speckles in OCT scans due to random translational and rotational motions of localized (but not-point-like) scatterers are given. To the best of our knowledge, such numerical simulations of large series of OCT scans in the presence of various types of motion of scatterers have not been demonstrated before.

Highlights

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has proven to be a powerful tool for characterization biological tissue and diagnostics of various pathologies
In addition to utilization of conventional structural OCT images and solving problems related to enhancement of speed OCT visualization, improvement of resolution, etc., much attention has been paid in recent years to the development of various extensions/modalities of OCT to enable additional types of contrast, in particular, realization of polarization-sensitive OCT imaging [1, 2]
The principles of OCT-based elastography and angiography are essentially based on the analysis of motions of scatterers in acquired sequences of OCT scans

Summary

Introduction

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has proven to be a powerful tool for characterization biological tissue and diagnostics of various pathologies. For real biological tissues, performing experimental studies in highly controllable and reproducible conditions often is rather difficult or even impossible By this reason, for validation and improvement of such OCT-based methods/algorithms for discrimination and quantitative assessment of motions of scatterers, researches often use phantom experiments with better controllable conditions [18, 19]. Another group utilizes the concept of point-spread function [26, 27] and the third one comprises methods in which optical wave propagation, scattering and backward propagation and reception are consistently described Such models can reasonably be called full-wave ones, their realizations differ rather significantly and may comprise elements of analytical and numerical description in various combinations [28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36]. Some examples demonstrating the usefulness of this model for simulations related to angiographic applications OCT will be presented

Main features of the model

Conclusions