Investigation of methods to extract confocal function parameters for depth resolved determination of attenuation coefficients using OCT in homogeneous and layered phantoms

Abstract

The attenuation coefficient can be calculated from OCT data, but accurate determination requires compensating for the confocal function. We present detailed measurement series for extraction of the focal plane and the apparent Rayleigh length from the ratios of OCT images acquired with different focus depths and compare these results with alternative approaches. The optimal focus depth difference is determined for intralipid and titanium oxide phantoms with different scatterer concentrations and the attenuation coefficients corrected for the confocal function are calculated. We further demonstrate good reproducibility of the determined attenuation coefficient of layers with identical scatter concentrations in a multi-layered titanium oxide phantom.