METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PERFORMING ANGLE-RESOLVED FOURIER-DOMAIN OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY

Abstract

Arrangements, apparatus and methods are provided according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention. In particular, at least one first electro-magnetic radiation may be received and at least one second electro-magnetic radiation within a solid angle may be forwarded to a sample. The second electro-magnetic radiation may be associated with the first electro-magnetic radiation. A plurality of third electro-magnetic radiations can be received from the sample which is associated with the second electro-magnetic radiation, and at least one portion of the third electro-magnetic radiation is provided outside a periphery of the solid angle. Signals associated with each of the third electro-magnetic radiations can be simultaneously detected, with the signals being associated with information for the sample at a plurality of depths thereof. The depths can be determined using at least one of the third electro-magnetic radiations without a need to utilize another one of the third electro-magnetic radiations.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures showing illustrative embodiments of the present invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional apparatus for performing Optical Coherence Microscopy (“OCM”);

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a conventional apparatus for performing path length encoded angular compounding for reducing speckle in Optical Coherence Tomography (“OCT”);

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional OCT apparatus for performing speckle reduction;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a conventional OCT apparatus for performing array detection for speckle reduction;

FIG. 5( a) and 5(b) are block diagrams of conventional apparatus for performing angle-resolved low-coherence interferometry;

FIGS. 6( a) and 6(b) are block diagrams of further conventional apparatus for performing the angle-resolved low-coherence interferometry;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an angle-resolved FD-OCT system according to the present invention that employs a single-dimensional detector array, with a rectangular, gray dashed region being oriented perpendicularly to the plane of the interferometer;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a wavelength-swept laser source utilized the system shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a schematic and operational diagram of a detection of the interference another exemplary embodiment of an angle-resolved FD-OCT system according to the present invention that employs a two dimensional detector array for a simultaneous detection of wavelength and angle;

FIG. 10 is a schematic and operational diagram of imaging optics providing within a further exemplary embodiment of an angle-resolved FD-OCT system according to the present invention that can be compatible with endoscopic probes;

FIG. 11( a) is a two-dimensional image of a tissue phantom obtained with the exemplary embodiments of the angle-resolved FD-OCT system according to the present invention for averages across one exemplary angular sample;

FIG. 11( b) is another two-dimensional image of the tissue phantom obtained with the exemplary embodiments of the angle-resolved FD-OCT system according to the present invention for averages across 400 angular samples;

FIG. 12( a) is a graph of an angular distribution obtained from one resolution element within a tissue phantom in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12( b) is a graph of an angular distribution obtained from one resolution element using corresponding normalized cross-correlation function in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13A is an image of an exemplary esophageal tissue obtained from compounding one angular sample, with an arrow pointing to a thin scattering layer within the epithelium;

FIG. 13B is an image of an exemplary esophageal tissue obtained from compounding three angular sample, with the arrow pointing to a thin scattering layer within the epithelium;

FIG. 13C is an image of an exemplary esophageal tissue obtained from compounding thirty (30) angular samples, with the arrow pointing to a thin scattering layer within the epithelium; and

FIG. 13C is an image of an exemplary esophageal tissue obtained from compounding four hundred (400) angular samples, with the arrow pointing to a thin scattering layer within the epithelium.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising: at least one first arrangement configured to receive at least one first electro-magnetic radiation, and forward at least one second electro-magnetic radiation within a solid angle to a sample, wherein the at least one second electro-magnetic radiation is associated with the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation, wherein the at least one first arrangement is configured to receive a plurality of third electro-magnetic radiations from the sample which is associated with the at least one second electro-magnetic radiation, and wherein at least one portion of the third electro-magnetic radiations is provided outside a periphery of the solid angle; andat least one second arrangement configured to simultaneously detect signals associated with each of the third electro-magnetic radiations, wherein the signals are associated with information for the at least one sample at a plurality of depths thereof, and wherein the at least one second arrangement is capable of determining the depths using at least one of the third electro-magnetic radiations without a need to utilize another one of the third electro-magnetic radiations.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one third arrangement configured to detect an interference between the at least two of the third radiations and at least one fourth radiation associated with the at least one first radiation, and obtaining information associated with the sample as a function of the depths within the sample based on the interference.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one third arrangement configured to provide data associated with at least one of birefringence properties, spectroscopic properties, motion, angular back-scattering properties or elastic properties of at least one portion of the sample as a function of the signals.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one third arrangement capable of generating at least one image of at least one portion of the sample as a function of the signals.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the at least one third arrangement is further configured to provide data associated with at least one of birefringence properties, spectroscopic properties, motion, angular back-scattering properties or elastic properties of at least one portion of the sample as a function of the signals.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the data is contrast data associated with the at least one image.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one third arrangement configured to provide data associated with scattering characteristics of at least one portion of the sample as a function of a combination of the signals.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one second arrangement is capable of determining the depths using a single one of the third electro-magnetic radiations.

9. A method for detecting signals, comprising: receiving at least one first electro-magnetic radiation;forwarding at least one second electro-magnetic radiation within a solid angle to a sample, wherein the at least one second electro-magnetic radiation is associated with the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation;receiving a plurality of third electro-magnetic radiations from the sample which is associated with the at least one second electro-magnetic radiation, wherein at least one portion of the third electro-magnetic radiations is provided outside a periphery of the solid angle;simultaneously detecting the signals associated with each of the third electro-magnetic radiations, wherein the signals are associated with information for the at least one sample at a plurality of depths thereof, anddetermining the depths using at least one of the third electro-magnetic radiations without a need to utilize another one of the third electro-magnetic radiations.

10. An apparatus for providing data associated with at least one sample, comprising: at least one first arrangement configured to receive first information associated with signals for a plurality of electro-magnetic radiations provided from the at least one sample, wherein at least first one of the electro-magnetic radiations being provided along a first axis, and at least second one of the electro-magnetic radiations being provided along second axis which is different from the first axis, wherein data for each of the signals within at least one portion of the first information includes data for a plurality of depths within the at least one sample; andat least one second arrangement configured to produce second information associated with contrast data of at least one portion of an image for the at least one sample as a function of the first information.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the at least one portion of the signals is provided outside a periphery of the solid angle.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the at least one second arrangement is capable of determining parameters of the at least one depth within the sample using the first information.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the at least one second arrangement is capable of determining the at least one depth using data associated with a single one of the signals.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising at least one third arrangement capable of generating at least one image of at least one portion of the sample as a function of the second information.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the at least one third arrangement is further configured to provide data associated with at least one of birefringence properties, spectroscopic properties, motion, angular back-scattering properties or elastic properties of at least one portion of the sample as a function of the second information.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the data is contrast data associated with the at least one image.

17. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising at least one third arrangement configured to provide data associated with scattering characteristics of at least one portion of the sample as a function of a combination of the signals.

18. A method providing data associated with at least one sample, comprising: receiving first information associated with signals for a plurality of electro-magnetic radiations provided from the at least one sample, wherein at least first one of the electro-magnetic radiations being provided along a first axis, and at least second one of the electro-magnetic radiations being provided along second axis which is different from the first axis, wherein data for each of the signals within at least one portion of the first information includes data for a plurality of depths within the at least one sample; andproducing second information associated with contrast data of at least one portion of an image for the at least one sample as a function of the first information.

19. An apparatus comprising: at least one first arrangement configured to receive at least one first electro-magnetic radiation, and forward at least one second electro-magnetic radiation within a solid angle to a sample, wherein the at least one second electro-magnetic radiation is associated with the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation, wherein the at least one first arrangement is configured to simultaneously receive at least two of a plurality of third electro-magnetic radiations from the sample which is associated with the at least one second electro-magnetic radiation, and wherein at least one portion of the third electro-magnetic radiations is provided outside a periphery of the solid angle; andat least one second arrangement configured to detect an interference between the at least two of the third radiations and at least one fourth radiation associated with the at least one first radiation, and configured to obtain information associated with the sample as a function of at least one depth within the sample based on the interference.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the at least one second arrangement is capable of determining the at least one depth based on the interference without a need to utilize another one of the third electro-magnetic radiations.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the at least one second arrangement is configured to simultaneously detect signals associated with each of the third electro-magnetic radiations.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising at least one third arrangement configured to provide data associated with at least one of birefringence properties, spectroscopic properties, motion, angular back-scattering properties or elastic properties of at least one portion of the sample as a function of the signals.

23. The apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising at least one third arrangement capable of generating at least one image of at least one portion of the sample as a function of the signals.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the at least one third arrangement is further configured to provide data associated with at least one of birefringence properties, spectroscopic properties, motion, angular back-scattering properties or elastic properties of at least one portion of the sample as a function of the signals.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the data is contrast data associated with the at least one image.

26. The apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising at least one third arrangement configured to provide data associated with scattering characteristics of at least one portion of the sample as a function of a combination of the signals.

27. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the at least one second arrangement is capable of determining the depths using a single one of the third electro-magnetic radiations.

28. A method for detecting signals, comprising: receiving at least one first electro-magnetic radiation;forwarding at least one second electro-magnetic radiation within a solid angle to a sample, wherein the at least one second electro-magnetic radiation is associated with the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation;simultaneously receiving at least two of a plurality of third electro-magnetic radiations from the sample which is associated with the at least one second electro-magnetic radiation, wherein at least one portion of the third electro-magnetic radiations is provided outside a periphery of the solid angle;detecting an interference between the at least two of the third radiations and at least one fourth radiation associated with the at least one first radiation; andobtaining information associated with the sample as a function of at least one depth within the sample based on the interference.