Abstract
Biomechanical properties drive the functioning of cells and tissue. Measurement of such properties in the clinic is quite challenging, however. Optical coherence elastography is an emerging technique in this field that can measure the biomechanical properties of the tissue. Unfortunately, such systems have been limited to benchtop configuration with limited clinical applications. A truly portable system with a flexible probe that could probe different sample sites with ease is still missing. In this work, we report a portable optical coherence elastography system based on a flexible common path optical fiber probe. The common path approach allows us to reduce the undesired phase noise in the system by an order of magnitude less than the standard non-common path systems. The flexible catheter makes it possible to probe different parts of the body with ease. Being portable, our system can be easily transported to and from the clinic. We tested the efficacy of the system by measuring the mechanical properties of the agar-based tissue phantoms. We also measured the mechanical properties (Young’s Modulus) of the human skin at different sites. The measured values for the agar phantom and the skin were found to be comparable with the previously reported studies. Ultra-high phase stability and flexibility of the probe along with the portability of the whole system makes an ideal combination for the faster clinical adoption of the optical coherence elastography technique.
Highlights
Biomechanical properties play an important role in the regulation of cellular functions within biological tissue
DISPLACEMENT STABILITY To check the phase stability and minimum displacement measurable by our swept-source Optical Coherence Elastography (OCE) common path (SS-OCEcp) system, we glued a mirror on the probe holder and measured the displacement of the mirror with respect to the tip of the fiber probe which acts as the reference surface
Since the mirror was fixed to the probe holder, we expect a minimum change in the optical path difference (OPD) between the reference signal and the mirror signal
Summary
Biomechanical properties play an important role in the regulation of cellular functions within biological tissue. Some cancer cell types are less stiffer than normal cells [1] and this information can be used as a diagnostic marker to differentiate cancerous cells from normal ones. Tissue elasticity is routinely used to determine breast cancer tissue margins during intraoperative breast cancer surgery [2], [3]. In dermatology, skin elasticity has been used to diagnose systemic sclerosis [4]–[6]. The measurement of the mechanical properties of the cells and the tissues have great clinical significance. The mechanical properties of tissues can be quantified by measuring parameters such as Young’s modulus, bulk modulus, and shear modulus. In vivo measurement of the biomechanical properties of the tissues within clinical settings has been
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