Specificity of noninvasive blood glucose sensing using optical coherence tomography technique: a pilot study

Abstract

Noninvasive monitoring of blood glucose concentration in diabetic patients would significantly reduce complications and mortality associated with this disease. In this paper, we experimentally and theoretically studied specificity of noninvasive blood glucose monitoring with the optical coherence tomography (OCT) technique. OCT images and signals were obtained from skin of Yucatan micropigs and New Zealand rabbits. Obtained results demonstrate that: (1) several body osmolytes may change the refractive index mismatch between the interstitial fluid (ISF) and scattering centres in tissue, however the effect of the glucose is approximately one to two orders of magnitude higher; (2) an increase of the ISF glucose concentration in the physiological range (3-30 mM) may decrease the scattering coefficient by 0.22% mM(-1) due to cell volume change; (3) stability of the OCT signal slope is dependent on tissue heterogeneity and motion artefacts; and (4) moderate skin temperature fluctuations (+/- 1 degree C) do not decrease accuracy and specificity of the OCT-based glucose sensor, however substantial skin heating or cooling (several degrees C) significantly change the OCT signal slope. These results suggest that the OCT technique may provide blood glucose concentration monitoring with sufficient specificity under normal physiological conditions.

Doppler OCT imaging of cytoplasm shuttle flow in Physarum polycephalum

“…Several research groups [17][18][19] have reported the possibility of determining the optical properties of scattering media by the OCT technique using rather complicated theories of OCT signal formation. This approach was used to monitor the glucose level in biotissues in vivo [20,21]. In our study, we have also made an attempt to determine the scattering coefficient of the cytoplasm in the Physarum plasmodium strand from the obtained OCT scans.…”

Effects of optical clearing agents on noninvasive blood glucose monitoring with optical coherence tomography: a pilot study

“…The room temperature was maintained at 25°C throughout the experiment, so as to eliminate influences caused by temperature fluctuation. 32,45 Four kinds of OCA were used in this study: 100% v∕v glycerol (100% G), 50% v∕v glycerol (50% G), 16% w∕v mannitol (16% M), and 16% w∕v mannitol (10% M) solutions. The 50% v∕v glycerol solution was prepared through mixing the agents with distilled water, and mannitol solutions were prepared by dissolving 16 or 10 g of mannitol in 100 mL purified and distilled water.…”

“…It has been shown that OCT is capable of detecting changes of blood glucose concentration in the normal physiology range. [29][30][31][32][33][34] OCT allows measurement of light attenuation in biological tissues, using an interferometer with a low coherent light source. It operates with ballistic and near-ballistic photons.…”

Improving Healthcare Accessibility through Point-of-Care Technologies

“…Optoacoustics technologies use sensitive detection of laser-induced ultrasonic waves and may provide noninvasive, highly accurate, real-time and continuous measurement of total hemoglobin concentration, concentrations of hemoglobin derivatives, and other blood parameters (23,24 ). Optical coherence tomography is based on detection of backscattered low-coherent light and may be feasible for glucose monitoring (25 ).…”