Enhanced 3D visualization of human fallopian tube morphology using a miniature optical coherence tomography catheter

Abstract

We demonstrate the use of our miniature optical coherence tomography catheter to acquire three-dimensional human fallopian tube images. Images of the fallopian tube’s tissue morphology, vasculature, and tissue heterogeneity distribution are enhanced by adaptive thresholding, masking, and intensity inverting, making it easier to differentiate malignant tissue from normal tissue. The results show that normal fallopian tubes tend to have rich vasculature accompanied by a patterned tissue scattering background, features that do not appear in malignant cases. This finding suggests that miniature OCT catheters may have great potential for fast optical biopsy of the fallopian tube.

Evaluation of women’s aging influence on sperm passage inside the fallopian tube using 3D dynamic mechanical modeling

“…We designed and constructed three detailed 3D human fallopian-tube models: one for women ages in the middle 20s, one for women ages in the middle 30s, and one for women ages in the middle 40s ( Figure 1 ). We built the different geometrical fallopian tubes based on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) results of the human fallopian tubes ( Rimbach et al, 1998 ; De Geyter et al, 2007 ; La Parra Casado et al, 2013 ; Revzin et al, 2020 ; Luo et al, 2023 ) and based on studies about the morphological changes in the human uterine tube according to aging ( Lisa et al, 1954 ; Kim-Bjorklund et al, 1991 ; Hwang and Song, 2004 ; Wolman, 2014 ; Talukdar and Sahu, 2016 ; Devi et al, 2017 ; Veerraju and Sesi, 2019 ). Each 3D geometrical model is considered a finite three-dimensional elongated trumpet-shaped structure crowded with ciliated cells.…”

“…The pathological sperm models include frequent defects in the sperm head and flagellum morphologies appearing in WHO-2021 guidelines ( World Health Organization, 2021 ). We then developed three 3D models of the human fallopian tubes, based on human uterus ultrasound and MRI results ( Rimbach et al, 1998 ; De Geyter et al, 2007 ; La Parra Casado et al, 2013 ; Revzin et al, 2020 ; Luo et al, 2023 ). Each 3D geometrical model presented the human fallopian tube of a different women’s age group, and was built based on the morphological changes of the fallopian tube due to women’s aging, as reported in previous studies ( Kim-Bjorklund et al, 1991 ; Hwang and Song, 2004 ; Talukdar and Sahu, 2016 ; Devi et al, 2017 ; Veerraju and Sesi, 2019 ).…”