Real-time Epidural Anesthesia Guidance Using Optical Coherence Tomography Needle Probe

Abstract

Epidural anesthesia is one of the most widely used anesthesia methods. Due to lack of visual feedback to guide needle navigation, failure rate of epidural anesthesia is up to 20%, and the complication rate of peripheral nerve block approaches 10%, with the potential of permanent nerve damage. To address these difficulties, needle insertion under ultrasound guidance and fluoroscopy has been introduced. However, they do not provide adequate resolution and contrast to distinguish the tissue layers that the needle travels through or to specifically identify the epidural space. To improve the accuracy of epidural space identification, we developed a small hand-held optical coherence tomography (OCT) forward-imaging needle device for real-time epidural anesthesia surgery guidance and demonstrated its feasibility through ex vivo and in vivo animal experiments. With tissue structures visualized and differentiated at the needle tip, OCT needle imaging device will enhance clinical outcomes with regards to complication rates, induced pain, and procedure failure when compared to standard practice. Furthermore, this technology could be used in combination with ultrasound/fluoroscopy to enhance outcomes.

Intravital imaging of adriamycin-induced renal pathology using two-photon microscopy and optical coherence tomography

“…A high-speed, high-resolution Fourier-domain OCT system was used in this study. 10,13,[53][54][55] The details of the OCT system have been previously described. 13 Brie°y, an OCT system consisting of a swept-source laser (100 nm bandwidth at 1310 nm center wavelength) yielding an axial resolution of 10 m in tissue was used.…”

High-dynamic-range fluorescence laminar optical tomography (HDR-FLOT)

“…The OCT system shown in Fig. 1(B) was described previously [7,[26][27][28]. A wavelength-swept laser centered at 1310 nm with a 100-nm bandwidth was used in this frequency-domain OCT system as a light source [7,26,27].…”

Optical coherence tomography and computer-aided diagnosis of a murine model of chronic kidney disease

“…1). [34][35][36][37] This system uses a swept-source laser operating at 1310-nm center wavelength with 100-nm bandwidth. The axial and lateral resolutions of the system are 12 and 6 μm, respectively.…”