Abstract
An optical technique called line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) is introduced for high-resolution, noninvasive imaging of human skin in vivo. LC-OCT combines the principles of time-domain optical coherence tomography and confocal microscopy with line illumination and detection using a broadband laser and a line-scan camera. LC-OCT measures the echo-time delay and amplitude of light backscattered from cutaneous microstructures through low-coherence interferometry associated with confocal spatial filtering. Multiple A-scans are acquired simultaneously while dynamically adjusting the focus. The resulting cross-sectional B-scan image is produced in real time at 10 frame / s. With an isotropic spatial resolution of ∼1 μm, the LC-OCT images reveal a comprehensive structural mapping of skin at the cellular level down to a depth of ∼500 μm. LC-OCT has been applied to the imaging of various skin lesions, in vivo, including carcinomas and melanomas. LC-OCT images are found to strongly correlate with conventional histopathological images. The use of LC-OCT as an adjunct tool in medical practice could significantly improve clinical diagnostic accuracy while reducing the number of biopsies of benign lesions.
Highlights
Skin cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in humans, with an incidence that has steadily increased worldwide in recent decades.[1]
A line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-optical coherence tomography (OCT)) prototype has been applied to the imaging of various human skin lesions, including carcinomas and melanomas in vivo to evaluate the potential of this technology in dermatology
The use of noninvasive imaging techniques in dermatology has been reported to improve the diagnostic accuracy and the practice of biopsies and at the same time to reduce the need for tissue excision
Summary
Skin cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in humans, with an incidence that has steadily increased worldwide in recent decades.[1]. Nonlinear optical microscopy is an imaging modality based on nonlinear interactions of light with biological tissues.[21] Compared with OCT, nonlinear microscopy offers a better spatial resolution, similar to that of RCM.[9] Advances in developing nonlinear (multiphoton) excitation microscopes with contrast mechanisms, such as second harmonic generation and stimulated Raman scattering, further allow visualization of skin morphology and function based on molecular-level signatures of biological molecules Major limitations of this technique are the orientation of the images (en face sections, like RCM), the small field of view (FOV) (smaller than that of RCM), and the relatively shallow penetration in skin (∼200 μm). A LC-OCT prototype has been applied to the imaging of various human skin lesions, including carcinomas and melanomas in vivo to evaluate the potential of this technology in dermatology
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