Handheld-probe-based optical Doppler tomography for blood flow imaging

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of optical Doppler tomography (ODT) using a portable handheld-type probe for investigating the blood flow in blood vessels of cell carcinoma-affected small animal models. To perform in vivo and real-time investigation, we developed a spectral domain-optical Doppler tomography (SD-ODT) system equipped with a portable handheld-type scanning probe, which uses the Kasai autocorrelation algorithm for Doppler imaging. The system capabilities were evaluated by conducting preliminary experiments on flow measurement in a microtube. The study was performed on healthy and squamous cell carcinoma-affected mouse specimens. The results demonstrate the possibilities and advantages of employing an SD-ODT system with handheld-type scanning probe for cell carcinoma investigation in small animal models.