Photothermal optical coherence microscopy (PT-OCM) combines the high-resolution, label-free morphological imaging of OCM with the ability to discriminate tissue composition through phase-sensitive photothermal imaging. In this study, we perform 2D imaging of human carotid endarterectomies to spectrally determine lipid distribution, with verification via histologically stained samples. The structural information from OCM is combined with the spectral information gained from measuring the resulting sample surface displacement from thermoelastic expansion, following light irradiation. PT-OCM is thus demonstrated as a potential tool in the investigation of atherosclerotic plaque lipids, contributing towards the understanding of plaque instability.

@en

Multimodal intravascular ultrasound and photoacoustic (IVUS/PA) imaging is a promising diagnostic tool for cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis. IVUS/PA catheters typically require two independent transducers due to different frequency requirements, potentially increasing the catheter size. To facilitate multimodal imaging within conventional catheter dimensions, we designed, fabricated, and characterized a dual-transducer acoustic stack where a low-frequency (LF) PA receiver sits as a matching layer for the high-frequency (HF) US transducer. While the HF transducer operates around 50 MHz, the LF receiver targets frequencies below 15 MHz to capture most of the PA energy from atherosclerotic plaque lipids. Simulation results reveal that this configuration could increase the sensitivity of the HF transducer by 3.54 dB while maintaining bandwidth. Phantom experiments with fabricated stacks showed improved performance for the US transducer, validating the enhanced sensitivity and bandwidth. Following improvements in stack fabrication, the proposed acoustic stack is a viable design that can significantly enhance diagnostic accuracy for atherosclerosis, providing high-resolution, multifrequency imaging within a compact catheter form factor.@en

In this study, we demonstrate a 12x36 mm motorized capsule for OCT imaging of the esophagus. The capsule produces unobstructed images by using a distal reflector design, thus avoiding shadow caused by the motor wires. The motor synchronous control enables three working modes: circumferential imaging, angular sector imaging and accurate beam positioning. Distortion artifacts shown in the sector imaging were found to be induced by velocity changes of the motor. We specifically characterized the motor speed and found a symmetric and repeatable behavior during sector scanning. Resampling of the sector images A-lines was carried out to achieve uniform angular spacing according to the measured speed profile. Also, distortion between consecutive sector frames was corrected using image registration to achieve stable imaging.

@en

We demonstrate a tethered motorized capsule for unobstructed optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging of the esophagus. By using a distal reflector design, we avoided the common shadow artifact induced by the motor wires. A synchronous driving technique features three types of beam-scanning modes of the capsule, i.e., circumferential beam scanning, localized beam scanning, and accurate beam positioning. We characterized these three modes and carried out ex vivo imaging experiments using the capsule. The results show that the capsule can potentially be a useful tool for diagnostic OCT imaging and OCT-guided biopsy and therapy of the esophagus.

@en