Abstract
.Significance: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has proven useful for detecting various oral maxillofacial abnormalities. To apply it to clinical applications including biopsy guidance and routine screening, a handheld imaging probe is indispensable. OCT probes reported for oral maxillofacial imaging were either based on a bulky galvanometric mirror pair (not compact or long enough) or a distal-end microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) scanner (raised safety concerns), or adapted from fiber-optic catheters (ill-suited for oral cavity geometry).Aim: To develop a handheld probe featuring great compactness and excellent maneuverability for oral maxillofacial tissue imaging.Approach: A dual-axis MEMS scanner was deployed at the proximal end of the probe and the scanned beam was relayed to the distal end through a 4f configuration. Such design provides both a perfect dual-axis telecentric scan and excellent compactness.Results: A handheld probe with a rigid part 70 mm in length and 7 mm in diameter and weighing 25 g in total was demonstrated through both ex vivo and in vivo experiments, including structural visualization of various oral maxillofacial tissues and monitoring the recovery process of an oral mucosa canker sore.Conclusions: The proposed probe exhibits excellent maneuverability and imaging performance showing great potential in clinical applications.
Highlights
Given the vital role played by oral maxillofacial regions both functionally and esthetically, false diagnosis and subsequently delayed intervention or mistreatment can impose on patients heavy economic burden and great social psychological stress due to potential malnutrition and disfiguring.[3,4]
The biopsy procedure, typically guided by an upper endoscope, is prone to sampling errors[6] since in many cases, abnormal tissue structures emerge from subepithelial locations [e.g., basement membrane (BM) for basal cell carcinoma] in premalignant stages,[7,8] and exhibit barely discernible visual difference on the tissue surface
F 1⁄4 4.59 mm) is chosen so that the collimated beam (1.2 mm in 1∕e2 diameter) is not clipped by the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) mirror viewed from 45 deg
Summary
Oral maxillofacial conditions are highly prevalent and have become significant public health challenges worldwide.[1,2] Given the vital role played by oral maxillofacial regions both functionally and esthetically, false diagnosis and subsequently delayed intervention or mistreatment can impose on patients heavy economic burden and great social psychological stress due to potential malnutrition and disfiguring.[3,4] Reliable diagnosis is crucial to formulating tailored treatments and early intervention to effectively prevent further deterioration and to greatlyJournal of Biomedical OpticsApril 2020 Vol 25(4)Li et al.: Low-cost, ultracompact handheld optical coherence tomography probe. . .improve the overall outcome and life qualities of patients.[1,5] Histopathological interrogation of biopsy specimens is still the current gold standard of definitive diagnosis of oral maxillofacial lesions. The biopsy procedure, typically guided by an upper endoscope, is prone to sampling errors[6] since in many cases, abnormal tissue structures emerge from subepithelial locations [e.g., basement membrane (BM) for basal cell carcinoma] in premalignant stages,[7,8] and exhibit barely discernible visual difference on the tissue surface. Standard medical imaging modalities, including x-ray, computed tomography (CT), and ultrasonography, are not wellsuited for real-time biopsy guidance due to their high cost, limited imaging resolution, and insufficient detection sensitivity of early transformation.[9] there has been compelling need for a noninvasive, high-resolution, and cost-effective imaging technology that is able to visualize inconspicuous subepithelial microscopic abnormalities over an extended area in vivo and in real time and can be used for routine screening or targeted biopsy guidance
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