In-vivo diagnostic with optical coherence tomography: use in dermatology

Julia Welzel; Eva Lankenau; Reginald Birngruber; Ralf Engelhardt

doi:10.1117/12.275058

22 May 1997 In-vivo diagnostic with optical coherence tomography: use in dermatology

Julia Welzel, Eva Lankenau, Reginald Birngruber, Ralf Engelhardt

Proceedings Volume 2970, Lasers in Surgery: Advanced Characterization, Therapeutics, and Systems VII; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.275058
Event: BiOS '97, Part of Photonics West, 1997, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

Optical low coherence tomography (OCT) is a newly developed bioengineering method for noninvasive in-vivo investigation of human skin, especially of the epidermis. Based on the principle of a Michelson interferometer, OCT allows the detection of the path length of an infrared light beam after backscattered inside the skin sample by comparison with a reference beam. The depth resolution is limited by the coherence length of the light source, which is about 15 micrometer. OCT supplies cross-sectional images of the skin with a penetration depth of about 0.5 to 1.5 mm. The stratum corneum can be distinguished from the living epidermis and the upper dermis. We investigated healthy skin of several localizations, inflammatory diseases, intra- and subepidermal blisters and epidermal tumors. First images are presented to demonstrate the possibilities of this promising new method.

Citation Download Citation

Julia Welzel, Eva Lankenau, Reginald Birngruber, and Ralf Engelhardt "In-vivo diagnostic with optical coherence tomography: use in dermatology", Proc. SPIE 2970, Lasers in Surgery: Advanced Characterization, Therapeutics, and Systems VII, (22 May 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.275058

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