Development of multi-functional OCT and its application to cardio-cerebrovascular disease models

Abstract

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a useful imaging method for in vivo tissue imaging with deep penetration and high spatial resolution. However, current application of OCT is limited to clinical imaging in ophthalmology and cardiology. Recently, a number of extensions of OCT have been developed for improving image contrast. Functional extensions of OCT will catalyze its usage in biomedical research for in vivo imaging of animal disease models and also in novel area of clinical diagnostics. Here, I sought to demonstrate the development of multi-functional OCT system (polarization sensitive OCT and quantitative angiographic OCT) and its application to cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease models. First, a mouse model of myocardial infarction was evaluated by polarization-sensitive OCT (PS-OCT). Robust PS-OCT image processing, structural and functional imaging in vivo, and development of a novel method for myocardial fiber orientation was performed. Second, cerebral blood flow monitoring of a photothrombotic stroke model using photosensitizer (Rose Bengal) in a mouse cranial window will be performed with quantitative angiographic OCT (qAOCT). The preliminary results during the development of qAOCT, hemodynamic imaging of a cranial window model was introduced. Third, a swine model of coronary atherosclerosis and stent structure was assessed by high-speed intracoronary OCT. The high speed intracoronary OCT with prospective ECG triggering was developed. In vivo imaging in a beating swine heart presented 3D coronary microstructure in high quality without cardiac motion artifact. Taken together, functional extensions of OCT including PS-OCT, qAOCT and high speed intracoronary OCT and their application in animal disease models will widen our understanding of human cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.