Significance: Line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) is a recently introduced high-resolution imaging modality based on a combination of low-coherence optical interferometry and reflectance confocal optical microscopy with line illumination and line detection. Capable of producing three-dimensional (3D) images of the skin with cellular resolution, in vivo, LC-OCT has been mainly applied in dermatology and dermo-cosmetology. The LC-OCT devices capable of acquiring 3D images reported so far are based on a Linnik interferometer using two identical microscope objectives. In this configuration, LC-OCT cannot be designed to be a very compact and light device, and the image acquisition speed is limited.Aim: The objective of this work was to develop a more compact and lighter LC-OCT device that is capable of acquiring images faster without significant degradation of the resolution and with optimized detection sensitivity.Approach: We developed an LC-OCT device based on a Mirau interferometer using a single objective. Dynamic adjustment of the camera frequency during the depth scan is implemented, using a faster camera and a more powerful light source. The reflectivity of the beam-splitter in the Mirau interferometer was optimized to maximize the detection sensitivity. A galvanometer scanner was incorporated into the device for scanning the illumination line laterally. A stack of adjacent B-scans, constituting a 3D image, can thus be acquired.Results: The device is able to acquire and display B-scans at 17 fps. 3D images with a quasi-isotropic resolution of ∼1.5 μm (1.3, 1.9, and 1.1 μm in the x , y, and z directions, respectively) over a field of 940 μm × 600 μm × 350 μm (x × y × z) can be obtained. 3D imaging of human skin at cellular resolution, in vivo, is reported.Conclusions: The acquisition rate of the B-scans, at 17 fps, is unprecedented in LC-OCT. Compared with the conventional LC-OCT devices based on a Linnik interferometer, the reported Mirau-based LC-OCT device can acquire B-scans ∼2 times faster. With potential advantages in terms of compactness and weight, a Mirau-based device could easily be integrated into a smaller and lighter handheld probe for use by dermatologists in their daily medical practice.
Line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) is a high-resolution imaging technique based on a combination of time-domain optical coherence tomography and confocal optical microscopy, with line illumination using a spatially coherent broadband light source and line detection using a line camera. We present a LC-OCT device based on a Mirau interferometer consisting of an immersion microscope objective incorporating a miniature interferometer. The device can acquire 17 B-scans per second, which is the fastest acquisition rate reported to date in LC-OCT. By stacking multiple adjacent B-scans, a 3D image with a lateral field of view of 940 μm × 600 μm over a depth of 350 μm can be acquired. Compared to the conventional LC-OCT devices based on a Linnik interferometer, this Mirau-based device has advantages in terms of compactness, weight, and B-scan acquisition speed. Imaging of skin tissue with near-isotropic resolution of ~1.5 micron is demonstrated in vivo.
Line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) is an imaging technique based on time-domain OCT with line illumination and line detection. The focus is adjusted during the scan of the sample depth to image with high lateral resolution (~ 1 μm), similar to the axial resolution, at a central wavelength of ~ 800 nm. The LC-OCT prototypes reported so far were all based on a Linnik-type interferometer. We present in this paper a LC-OCT device based on a Mirau interferometer. This Mirau-based LC-OCT device has the advantage of being more compact and lighter. In vivo imaging of human skin with a resolution of 1.3 μm × 1.1 μm (lateral × axial) is demonstrated at 12 frames per second over a field of 0.9 mm × 0.4 mm (lateral × axial).
We present an improved time-domain optical coherence tomography technique designed for ultrahigh-resolution B-scan imaging in real-time. The technique, called line-field confocal optical coherence tomography, is based on a Linnik-type interference microscope with line illumination using a supercontinuum laser and line detection using a line-scan camera. Bscan imaging with dynamic focusing is achieved by acquiring multiple A-scans in parallel. In vivo cellular level resolution imaging of skin is demonstrated at 10 frame/s with a penetration depth of ∼ 500 μm, with a spatial resolution of 1.3 μm × 1.1 μm (transverse × axial).
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