Imaging ex vivo healthy and pathological human brain tissue with ultra-high-resolution optical coherence tomography.
The ability of ultra-high-resolution optical coherence tomography (UHR OCT) to discriminate between healthy and pathological human brain tissue is examined by imaging ex vivo tissue morphology of various brain biopsies. Micrometer-scale OCT resolution (0.9x2 microm, axialxlateral) is achieved in biological tissue by interfacing a state-of-the-art Ti:Al2O3 laser (lambda(c)=800 nm, delta lambda=260 nm, and P(out)=120 mW exfiber) to a free-space OCT system utilizing dynamic focusing. UHR OCT images are acquired from both healthy brain tissue and various types of brain tumors including fibrous, athypical, and transitional meningioma and ganglioglioma. A comparison of the tomograms with standard hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained histological sections of the imaged biopsies demonstrates the ability of UHR OCT to visualize and identify morphological features such as microcalcifications (>20 microm), enlarged nuclei of tumor cells (approximately 8 to 15 microm), small cysts, and blood vessels, which are characteristic of neuropathologies and normally absent in healthy brain tissue.
Bizheva
Kostadinka
K
Medical University of Vienna and Christian Doppler Laboratory, Center for Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Vienna A-1090, Austria.
Unterhuber
Angelika
A
Hermann
Boris
B
Povazay
Boris
B
Sattmann
Harald
H
Fercher
A F
AF
Drexler
Wolfgang
W
Preusser
Matthias
M
Budka
Herbert
H
Stingl
Andreas
A
Le
Tuan
T
D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000473:pathology; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004396:Coloring Agents; D004801:Eosine Yellowish-(YS); D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D018303:Ganglioglioma / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology; D006416:Hematoxylin; D006801:Humans; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology; D008579:Meningioma / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000592:standards
D004396:Coloring Agents; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D004801:Eosine Yellowish-(YS); D006416:Hematoxylin