Noninvasive structural and microvascular anatomy of oral mucosae using handheld optical coherence tomography

Abstract

Abstract:In this study, we demonstrated the feasibility of using a handheld optical coherence tomography (OCT) for in vivo visualizations of the microstructural and microvascular features of various oral mucosal types. To scan arbitrary locations of the oral mucosa, a scanning probe was developed, composed of a probe body fabricated by a 3D printer, miniaturized two-axis galvanometer, relay lenses, and reflective prism. With a 3D printing technique, the probe weight and the system volume were greatly reduced, enabling the effective improvement of imaging artifacts from unconscious motion and system complexity. Additionally, in our design, the distal end of the probe can be switched to fit various oral conditions, and the optical parameters of the probe, such as the transverse resolution, working distance, and probe length can be easily varied. The results showed that the epithelium and lamina propria layers, as well as the fungiform papilla and salivary gland, were differentiated. Moreover, various microcirculation features at different mucosal sites were identified that are potentially effective indicators for the diagnosis of premalignant lesions. The demonstrated results indicate that the developed OCT system is a promising tool for noninvasive imaging of oral mucosae. 164-170 (2000). 5. L. L. Gleich, P. W. Biddinger, Z. P. Pavelic, and J. L. Gluckman, "Tumor angiogenesis in T1 oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma: Role in predicting tumor aggressiveness," Head Neck 18(4), 343-346 (1996). 6. L. L. Gleich, P. W. Biddinger, F. D. Duperier, and J. L. Gluckman, "Tumor angiogenesis as a prognostic indicator in T2-T4 oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma: A clinical-pathologic correlation," Head Neck 19(4), 276-280 (1997). 7. S. Silverman, Jr., "Early diagnosis of oral cancer," Cancer 62(8 Suppl), 1796-1799 (1988). cancer lesion with swept-source optical coherence tomography," J.

In Vivo Endoscopic Optical Coherence Tomography of the Healthy Human Oral Mucosa: Qualitative and Quantitative Image Analysis

“…Apart from the buccal mucosa and the hard palate where measurement was restricted due to a limited penetration depth, a moderate to high grade of vascularization was found within the defined investigation areas ( Figure 1 ). Setting these results in a wider context, previous OCT studies used different approaches to quantify vascular supply [ 40 , 45 ]. Tsai et al [ 40 ] calculated an average vessel density by using en-face projections of OCT angiographic images.…”

“…Setting these results in a wider context, previous OCT studies used different approaches to quantify vascular supply [ 40 , 45 ]. Tsai et al [ 40 ] calculated an average vessel density by using en-face projections of OCT angiographic images. At a depth of 250 to 500 , a high vascularization was determined for the labial mucosa, the buccal mucosa and the sublingual mucosa, respectively.…”

“…Corresponding to the approach of OCT angiography, the grade of tissue vascularization is estimated by measuring the luminal area of larger vessels and relating the result to the avascular epithelial layer (also referred to as mean vessel density) [ 40 , 41 ]. For this, single or multiple yellow-colored elliptic shapes mark regions of vascularization, as shown in Figure 2 c. The sum of the segmented areas is divided by the total area of the detected epithelium determined by a polygonal shape.…”

In vivo imaging in the oral cavity by endoscopic optical coherence tomography

“…43 Although a variety of impressive EOCT solutions are proposed in flexible catheter-based configuration, 44,45 especially for intravascular, 46 bronchial 47 as well as gastrointestinal diagnosis, 48,49 in rigid implementation, in particular, for otorhinolaryngology [50][51][52] and in needle-like design for intratissue examinations in cancer diagnosis, [53][54][55][56] developments of intraoral OCT probes adapted to the oral cavity can only be found occasionally. [57][58][59] So far, rigid handheld endoscopic probes, 20,[60][61][62][63] miniaturized probes, 64,65 and rotary pullback catheters 66,67 are developed in forward and side viewing configuration, as well as in contact and noncontact mode for intraoral measurements, which is a crucial step for the application of OCT methodology in clinical practice. In our judgment, most of the reported rigid OCT systems allow the imaging of the well accessible buccal mucosa, the hard and anterior soft palate as well as different parts of the tongue, but none of them has demonstrated contactless OCT images of different areas of the posterior oral mucosa (e.g., palatoglossal arch and fold) with highly resolved structures of the connective tissue and molars in vivo.…”

Low-cost, ultracompact handheld optical coherence tomography probe for in vivo oral maxillofacial tissue imaging

“…As summarized in Table 1, galvanometer scanners, comprising two orthogonally oriented X and Y mirrors mounted on servo motors, are generally bulky and costly. [16][17][18][19] Fiber-optic rotary pullback scanning catheter, despite its excellent compactness, is designed for side-viewing imaging of cylindrical lumens and therefore, when applied to oral maxillofacial imaging, yields meaningful data over around half of the scanning circumference, 23 leading to significant waste of both acquisition bandwidth and computational resources. In addition, the fiber-tethering nonrigid design does not lend itself to easy manipulation.…”