In vivo imaging of human labial glands using advanced optical coherence tomography.
OBJECTIVE
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has emerged as a high-resolution noninvasive clinical imaging application. The purpose of this study was to show OCT images of human labial glands obtained using a swept-source (SS) OCT system.


METHODS
Labial gland OCT imaging was carried out using our new SS-OCT system for 5 healthy volunteers using a hand-held in vivo OCT scanning probe. The labial tissue was scanned in a superior to inferior direction in 2 and 3 dimensions.


RESULTS
The resulting 2- and 3-dimensional ultrahigh-resolution images of in vivo OCT human labial minor salivary glands revealed the epithelium, connective tissue, lobes, and duct. OCT was capable of providing simultaneous and noninvasive structural information with high resolution.


CONCLUSIONS
This clinical imaging modality promises to have clinical impact in the diagnosis of such conditions as Sjögren syndrome and xerostomia.
Ozawa
Nobuyoshi
N
Resident, Division of Oral and Dental Surgery, Department of Advanced Medicine, National Hospital for Geriatric Medicine, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Aichi, Japan.
Sumi
Yasunori
Y
Shimozato
Kazuo
K
Chong
Changho
C
Kurabayashi
Tohru
T
D000328:Adult; D019412:Anatomy, Cross-Sectional; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D004848:Epithelium / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D008046:Lip / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008297:Male; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D018987:Salivary Ducts / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D012470:Salivary Glands, Minor / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult