Apparatus and methods for enhancing optical coherence tomography imaging using volumetric filtering techniques

• US 7,920,271 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2007
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Inventors: Desjardins, Adrien, Vakoc, Benjamin J., Bouma, Brett Eugene, Tearney, Guillermo J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lyons; Michael A
• Application Number:
  US11/844,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20080049232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: 356/477, 356/479, 356/497, 250/227.19, 250/227.27, 385/12
• US Class Current: 356/479
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/1225 using coherent radiation
• 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 5/6852 Catheters

Abstract

Apparatus and method can be provided, whereas a particular radiation which includes at least one first electro-magnetic radiation can be directed to at least one sample and at least one second electro-magnetic radiation can be directed to a reference. The first electro-magnetic radiation having a particular cross-sectional width may be applied to at least one portion of the sample to generate at least one third electro-magnetic radiation. The first electro-magnetic radiation can be provided in the portion along a particular axis for a distance between a multiplier of 0.5 and 100 of the particular cross-sectional width. An interference can be detected between the third electro-magnetic radiation associated with the first electro-magnetic radiation and at least one fourth electro-magnetic radiation associated with the second electro-magnetic radiation. Further, an asymmetrical cross-sectional area of the first electro-magnetic radiation can be provided.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first arrangement configured to provide a particular radiation which includes a first electro-magnetic radiation directed to a sample and a second electro-magnetic radiation directed to a reference;

a second arrangement configured to apply the first electro-magnetic radiation having a particular cross-sectional width to at least one portion of the sample to generate a third electro-magnetic radiation, wherein the second arrangement is further configured to translate the first electro-magnetic radiation in the at least one portion along a particular axis for an entire distance between a multiplier of 0.5 and 100 of the particular cross-sectional width; and

a third arrangement configured to detect an interference between the third electro-magnetic radiation associated with the first electro-magnetic radiation and a fourth electro-magnetic radiation associated with the second electro-magnetic radiation.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an upper bound of the multiplier is at least one of 50, 60, 70, 80 or 90 of the particular cross-sectional width.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second arrangement is configured to translate the first electro-magnetic radiation in the at least one portion along a further axis which is different from the particular axis.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a fourth arrangement configured to generate at least one image associated with the at least one portion as a function of the interference.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second arrangement is further configured to translate the first electro-magnetic radiation in the at least one portion in at least one of a sinusoidal pattern, a triangular pattern, a saw-tooth pattern or a spiral pattern.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second arrangement is further configured to provide an asymmetrical cross-sectional area of the first electro-magnetic radiation.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a fourth arrangement configured to modulate a spatial mode of the first electro-magnetic radiation that is incident upon the sample.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second arrangement is further configured to translate the first electro-magnetic radiation in the at least one portion (i) repetitively along a first axis for a maximum of a first distance between a multiplier of 0.5 and 100 of the particular cross-sectional width, and (ii) along a second axis which is different than the first axis for minimum of a second distance that is greater than the first distance.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first distance is between approximately 22.5 μ

m and 70 μ

m.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising at least one fourth arrangement configured to receive a signal associated with the interference, and process the signal so as to filter the signal along the first axis.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the signal is filtered using a median procedure.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third arrangement is further configured to filter at least one in-plane portion of an image associated with the interference and at least one out-of-plane portion of the image associated with the interference.

13. A method comprising:

providing a particular radiation which includes a first electro-magnetic radiation directed to a sample and a second electro-magnetic radiation directed to a reference;

applying the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation having a particular cross-sectional width to at least one portion of the sample to generate a third electro-magnetic radiation;

translating the first electro-magnetic radiation in the at least one portion along a particular axis for an entire distance between a multiplier of 0.5 and 100 of the particular cross-sectional width; and

detecting an interference between the third electro-magnetic radiation associated with the first electro-magnetic radiation and a fourth electro-magnetic radiation associated with the second electro-magnetic radiation.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising modulating a spatial mode of the first electro-magnetic radiation that is incident upon the sample.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first electro-magnetic radiation is translated in the at least one portion (i) repetitively along a first axis for a maximum of a first distance between a multiplier of 0.5 and 100 of the particular cross-sectional width, and (ii) along a second axis which is different than the first axis for minimum of a second distance that is greater than the first distance.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the first distance is between approximately 22.5 μ

m and 70 μ

m.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising receiving a signal associated with the interference, and processing the signal so as to filter the signal along the first axis.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the signal is filtered using a median procedure.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein the third arrangement is further configured to filter at least one in-plane portion of an image associated with the interference and at least one out-of-plane portion of the image associated with the interference.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a first arrangement configured to provide a particular radiation which includes a first electro-magnetic radiation directed to a sample and a second electro-magnetic radiation directed to a reference;

a second arrangement configured to apply the first electro-magnetic radiation to at least one portion of the sample to generate a third electro-magnetic radiation, wherein the second arrangement is further configured to provide an asymmetrical cross-sectional area of the first electro-magnetic radiation;

a third arrangement configured to detect an interference between the third electro-magnetic radiation associated with the first electro-magnetic radiation and a fourth electro-magnetic radiation associated with the second electro-magnetic radiation; and

a fourth arrangement configured to modulate a spatial mode of the first electro-magnetic radiation that is incident upon the sample.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the first electro-magnetic radiation has a particular cross sectional width along a particular axis that is greater than a further cross-sectional width of the first electro-magnetic radiation along any other axis.

22. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the first electro-magnetic radiation has a particular cross sectional width along a particular axis that is greater by a factor of at least 2 than a further cross-sectional width of the first electro-magnetic radiation along another axis.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the second arrangement is further configured to translate the first electro-magnetic radiation in the at least one portion along a further axis, and wherein the further axis is approximately perpendicular to the particular axis.

24. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the fourth arrangement includes at least one of a spatial light modulating arrangement, a galvanometer arrangement, acousto-optical modulating arrangement or a wave-guide mode scrambling arrangement.

25. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the second arrangement is further configured to translate the first electro-magnetic radiation in the at least one portion along a particular axis for a distance between a multiplier of 0.5 and 100 of the particular cross-sectional width.

26. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the fourth arrangement performs the modulation during imaging of the sample.

27. An apparatus comprising:

a first arrangement configured to provide a particular radiation which includes a first electro-magnetic radiation directed to a sample and a second electro-magnetic radiation directed to a reference;

a second arrangement configured to apply the first electro-magnetic radiation to at least one portion of the sample to generate a third electro-magnetic radiation, wherein the second arrangement is further configured to provide an asymmetrical cross-sectional area of the first electro-magnetic radiation; and

a third arrangement configured to detect an interference between the third electro-magnetic radiation associated with the first electro-magnetic radiation and a fourth electro-magnetic radiation associated with the second electro-magnetic radiation, wherein the second arrangement includes an asymmetric wave-guide fiber arrangement.

28. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the asymmetric wave-guide arrangement is configured to propagate at least three orthogonal modes of the first electro-magnetic radiation.

29. A method comprising:

providing a particular radiation which includes a first electro-magnetic radiation directed to a sample and a second electro-magnetic radiation directed to a reference;

applying the first electro-magnetic radiation to at least one portion of the sample to generate a third electro-magnetic radiation;

providing an asymmetrical cross-sectional area of the first electro-magnetic radiation;

detecting an interference between the third electro-magnetic radiation associated with the first electro-magnetic radiation and a fourth electro-magnetic radiation associated with the second electro-magnetic radiation; and

modulating at a spatial mode of the first electro-magnetic radiation that is incident upon the sample.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the modulation is performed during imaging of the sample.