Functional and morphological imaging of the human tympanic membrane with endoscopic optical coherence tomography

Abstract

In this ex vivo feasibility study, endoscopic structural and functional optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging with a field of view of 8 mm is presented allowing the inspection of nearly the entire tympanic membrane through the ear canal. The endoscope utilizes a gradient index optics for simultaneous OCT and video endoscopy. Additionally, Doppler-OCT allows the measurement of the tympanic membrane oscillation. Due to the fast image acquisition, only minor motion artifacts have been observed, which don’t affect the image quality. In conclusion, endoscopic OCT is considered as a promising tool for the comprehensive examination of the human middle ear.