Document Type
Journal Article
Publisher
SPIE
Faculty
Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science
School
School of Engineering
RAS ID
18919
Abstract
The axial resolution is a critical parameter in determining whether optical coherent tomography (OCT) can be used to resolve specific features in a sample image. Typically, measures of resolution have been attributed to the light source characteristics only, including the coherence length and the point spread function (PSF) width of the OCT light sources. The need to cost effectively visualize the generated PSF and OCT cross-correlated interferogram (A-scan) using many OCT light sources have led to the extrinsic evolution of the OCT simulation model presented. This research indicated that empirical resolution in vivo, as well as depending on the light source's spectral characteristics, is also strongly dependent on the optical characteristics of the tissue, including surface reflection. This research showed that this reflection could be digitally removed from the A-scan of an epithelial model, enhancing the stratum depth resolution limit (SDRL) of the subsurface tissue. Specifically, the A-scan portion above the surface, the front surface interferogram, could be digitally subtracted, rather than deconvolved, from the subsurface part of each A-scan. This front surface interferogram subtraction resulted in considerably reduced empirical SDRLs being much closer to the superluminescent diodes' resolution limits, compared to the untreated A-scan results.
DOI
10.1117/1.JBO.19.8.085003
Access Rights
free_to_read
Comments
This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of: Jansz P.V., Richardson S., Wild G., Hinckley S. (2014). Characterizing the resolvability of real superluminescent diode sources for application to optical coherence tomography using a low coherence interferometry model. Journal of Biomedical Optics, 19(8). Copyright 2014 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic reproduction and distribution, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of the paper are prohibited. Available here