Magnetomotive optical coherence tomography

• US 7,751,057 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2008
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Inventors: Crecea, Vasilica, Liang, Xing, Oldenburg, Amy L., Boppart, Stephen A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chowdhury; Tarifur
• Assistant Examiner(s): COOK, JONATHON
• Application Number:
  US12/041,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20090185166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 356/479, 356/497
• US Class Current: 356/497
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0051 by applying vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0066 Optical coherence imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0073 by tomography, i.e. reconstruction of 3D images from 2D projections A61B5/0066 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/415 the glands, e.g. tonsils, adenoids or thymus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/416 the spleen
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/418 lymph vessels, ducts or nodes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/4795 spatially resolved investigating of object in scattering medium in vivo A61B

Abstract

A spectral-domain magnetomotive optical coherence tomography apparatus, includes (a) a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography device, and (b) a magnet. The magnet is coupled with the optical coherence tomography device so that changes in the magnetic field are coordinated with collection of data by the optical coherence tomography device. This device may be used to examine a sample by spectral-domain magnetomotive optical coherence tomography, which includes examining the sample with a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography device, to collect optical coherence tomography data. The sample contains magnetic particles, and the magnetic particles are subjected to a changing magnetic field during the examining.

Claims

1. A spectral-domain magnetomotive optical coherence tomography apparatus, comprising:

(a) a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography device, and

(b) a magnet, coupled with the optical coherence tomography device so that changes in a magnetic field are coordinated with collection of data by the optical coherence tomography device;

wherein the magnetic field oscillates with a frequency,

$f_B><br><br>\frac{v_{\mathrm{scan}}}{\mathrm{\Delta <br><br>}<br><br><br><br>x},$

wherein V_scan is a transverse scan velocity of examining, and Δ

x is a transverse image resolution of the examining.

2. The spectral-domain magnetomotive optical coherence tomography apparatus of claim 1, wherein the magnet is arranged so that a dominant gradient of a magnetic field produced by the magnet is aligned substantially parallel with an axial scanning direction of the spectral-domain optical coherence tomography device.

3. The spectral-domain magnetomotive optical coherence tomography apparatus of claim 1, wherein the magnet is arranged so that light from the spectral-domain optical coherence tomography device passes through the magnet during operation of the apparatus.

4. The spectral-domain magnetomotive optical coherence tomography apparatus of claim 1, further comprising (c) a computer, connected with at least one member selected from the group consisting of a magnet and an optical coherence tomography device.

5. The spectral-domain magnetomotive optical coherence tomography apparatus of claim 1, wherein the magnet is an electromagnet.

6. The spectral-domain magnetomotive optical coherence tomography apparatus of claim 1, wherein the magnet is arranged so that a dominant gradient of a magnetic field produced by the electromagnet is aligned substantially parallel with an axial scanning direction of the spectral-domain optical coherence tomography device, and light from the spectral-domain optical coherence tomography device passes through the magnet during operation of the apparatus.

7. The spectral-domain magnetomotive optical coherence tomography apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spectral-domain optical coherence tomography device comprises a broadband source.

8. The spectral-domain magnetomotive optical coherence tomography apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spectral-domain optical coherence tomography device comprises a swept source.

9. A method of examining a sample, comprising:

examining the sample with a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography device, to collect data; and

subjecting the sample to a magnetic field which is oscillating with a frequency

$f_B><br><br>\frac{v_{\mathrm{scan}}}{\mathrm{\Delta <br><br>}<br><br><br><br>x};<br><br>$

wherein the sample comprises magnetic particles, and

V_scan is a transverse scan velocity of the examining, and Δ

x is a transverse image resolution of the examining.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the magnetic field causes the magnetic particles to move in a direction substantially parallel to a probing beam of the spectral-domain optical coherence tomography device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein a resulting magnetic gradient force on the magnetic particles from the magnetic field is sinusoidal.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the magnetic field is chirped.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the magnetic field has a field modulation of 1 Hz to 10 kHz.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the examining is B-mode scanning.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the examining is M-mode scanning.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein phase stability of the spectral-domain optical coherence tomography device during examining is less than 0.5 rad.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein phase stability of the spectral-domain optical coherence tomography device during examining is 0.1-0.5 rad.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the sample comprises 3 to 1000 ppm of the magnetic particles.

19. The method of claim 9, wherein the sample comprises 10 to 500 ppm of the magnetic particles.

20. The method of claim 9, wherein the sample comprises 10 to 400 ppm of the magnetic particles.

21. The method of claim 9, wherein the sample comprises 10 to 100 ppm of the magnetic particles.

22. The method of claim 9, wherein the magnetic particles comprise superparamagnetic iron oxide and/or ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide.

23. The method of claim 9, wherein the magnetic particles further comprise antibodies.

24. The method of claim 9, further comprising examining the sample with magnetic resonance imaging, to collect magnetic resonance imaging data.

25. The method of claim 9, further comprising subjecting the sample to hyperthermic therapy.

26. The method of claim 9, further comprising forming an image of the sample from the data.

27. The method of claim 9, further comprising calculating an elastic modulus of the sample.

28. The method of claim 9, further comprising calculating a viscosity of the sample.

29. The method of claim 13, wherein the magnetic field has a field modulation of 1 Hz to 100 Hz.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the image is an optical coherence tomography image, an elastic modulus image or an image of the distribution of the magnetic particles.