Mapping of birefringence and thermal damage in tissue by use of polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography
- Medical Technology Program, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States)
We demonstrate cross-sectional birefringence- and polarization-independent backscatter imaging of laser-induced thermal damage in porcine myocardium {ital in vitro}, using a polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography system. We compare the generated images with histological sections of the tissue and demonstrate that birefringence is a more sensitive indicator of thermal damage than is backscattered light. Loss of birefringence in thermally damaged regions is quantified and shown to have significant contrast with undamaged sections of the tissue. A detailed theoretical analysis of the birefringence measurements is provided, including a calculation of the systematic errors associated with background noise, system imperfections, and tissue dichroism. {copyright} 1998 Optical Society of America
- OSTI ID:
- 675100
- Journal Information:
- Applied Optics, Journal Name: Applied Optics Journal Issue: 25 Vol. 37; ISSN 0003-6935; ISSN APOPAI
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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