Tri-band spectroscopic optical coherence tomography based on optical parametric amplification for lipid and vessel visualization

Abstract

A tri-band spectroscopic optical coherence tomography (SOCT) system has been implemented for visualization of lipid and blood vessel distribution. The tri-band swept source, which covers output spectrum in 1.3, 1.5, and 1.6 μm wavelength windows, is based on a dual-band Fourier domain mode-locked laser and a fiber optical parametric amplifier. This tri-band SOCT can further differentiate materials, e.g., lipid and artery, quali-tatively by contrasting attenuation coefficients difference within any two of these bands. Furthermore, ex vivo imaging of both porcine artery with artificial lipid plaque phantom and mice with coronary artery disease were demonstrated to showcase the capability of our SOCT.