title: Coronal in vivo forward-imaging of rat brain morphology with an ultra-small optical coherence tomography fiber probe.
abstract: A well-established navigation method is one of the key conditions for successful brain surgery: it should be accurate, safe and online operable. Recent research shows that optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a potential solution for this application by providing a high resolution and small probe dimension. In this study a fiber-based spectral-domain OCT system utilizing a super-luminescent-diode with the center wavelength of 840 nm providing 14.5 μm axial resolution was used. A composite 125 μm diameter detecting probe with a gradient index (GRIN) fiber fused to a single mode fiber was employed. Signals were reconstructed into grayscale images by horizontally aligning A-scans from the same trajectory with different depths. The reconstructed images can display brain morphology along the entire trajectory. For scans of typical white matter, the signals showed a higher reflection of light intensity with lower penetration depth as well as a steeper attenuation rate compared to the scans typical for gray matter. Micro-structures such as axon bundles (70 μm) in the caudate nucleus are visible in the reconstructed images. This study explores the potential of OCT to be a navigation modality in brain surgery.
authors: Institute for Signal Processing, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, D-23562, Germany.
authors: Yijing
authors: Y
authors: Xie
authors: Tim
authors: T
authors: Bonin
authors: Susanne
authors: S
authors: Löffler
authors: Gereon
authors: G
authors: Hüttmann
authors: Volker
authors: V
authors: Tronnier
authors: Ulrich G
authors: UG
authors: Hofmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007909:Lenses; D055100:Optical Fibers; D051381:Rats; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000295:instrumentation*