title: In vivo endoscopic optical biopsy with optical coherence tomography.
abstract: Current medical imaging technologies allow visualization of tissue anatomy in the human body at resolutions ranging from 100 micrometers to 1 millimeter. These technologies are generally not sensitive enough to detect early-stage tissue abnormalities associated with diseases such as cancer and atherosclerosis, which require micrometer-scale resolution. Here, optical coherence tomography was adapted to allow high-speed visualization of tissue in a living animal with a catheter-endoscope 1 millimeter in diameter. This method, referred to as "optical biopsy," was used to obtain cross-sectional images of the rabbit gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts at 10-micrometer resolution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Building 36-357, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Tearney
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Brezinski
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Bouma
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Boppart
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pitris
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Southern
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
mesh_terms: D019412:Anatomy, Cross-Sectional; D000818:Animals; D001706:Biopsy; D002404:Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation; D019723:Endoscopes; D004848:Epithelium / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D020701:Esophagoscopes; D004947:Esophagus / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000098:blood supply; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D007368:Interferometry / Q000295:instrumentation; D007834:Lasers; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D011817:Rabbits; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D014054:Tomography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D014132:Trachea / Q000033:anatomy & histology*