Abstract
High-resolution mapping of microvasculature has been applied to diverse body systems, including the retinal and choroidal vasculature, cardiac vasculature, the central nervous system, and various tumor models. Many imaging techniques have been developed to address specific research questions, and each has its own merits and drawbacks. Understanding, optimization, and proper implementation of these imaging techniques can significantly improve the data obtained along the spectrum of unique research projects to obtain diagnostic clinical information. We describe the recently developed algorithms and applications of two general classes of microvascular imaging techniques: speckle-variance and phase-variance optical coherence tomography (OCT). We compare and contrast their performance with Doppler OCT and optical microangiography. In addition, we highlight ongoing work in the development of variance-based techniques to further refine the characterization of microvascular networks.
Highlights
Over the last decade, various techniques have been reported to image microvascular networks, whose aims range from distinct research questions to the diagnosis and monitoring of specific pathologies
Fluorescein angiography (FA), and indocyanine green angiography served as standard methods for imaging the retinal vascular structure.[1]
The optical coherence tomography (OCT) technique is based on the principle of low-coherence interferometry, and it offers the advantages of being noninvasive, contactless, and yields depth-resolved localization at high spatial and temporal resolutions cross-sectional imaging in biological systems.cross-sectional imaging in biological system.[2,3]
Summary
Various techniques have been reported to image microvascular networks, whose aims range from distinct research questions to the diagnosis and monitoring of specific pathologies. The PV-OCT method[47,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66] has been implemented to visualize the vasculature of zebrafish,[59] ocular circulation of the mouse,[60] and human retinal vasculature.[47,61,62,63,64,65,66] This method identifies the phase difference between consecutive B-scans of the same transverse position and allows for the mapping of microvasculature, independent of the direction of flow relative to the imaging system.[47,60] High-speed phase stable imaging systems and postimage processing can reduce motion artifacts, which may further advance this technique for use in clinical applications. Studies are ongoing for improving complete microvascular metrics, as well as assessing blood flow information by optimizing system acquisition parameters or by improving the OCT system
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