title: Quantitative upper airway endoscopy with swept-source anatomical optical coherence tomography.
abstract: Minimally invasive imaging of upper airway obstructions in children and adults is needed to improve clinical decision-making. Toward this goal, we demonstrate an anatomical optical coherence tomography (aOCT) system delivered via a small-bore, flexible endoscope to quantify the upper airway lumen geometry. Helical scans were obtained from a proximally-scanned fiber-optic catheter of 820 μm outer diameter and >2 mm focal length. Coupled with a long coherence length wavelength-swept light source, the system exhibited an SNR roll-off of < 10 dB over a 10 mm range. Operating at 10 rotations/s, the average accuracy of segmented cross-sectional areas was found to be -1.4 ± 1.0%. To demonstrate the capability of this system, aOCT was performed on a pediatric airway phantom and on ex vivo swine trachea. The ability for quantitative endoscopy afforded by this system can aid in diagnosis, medical and surgical decision making, and predictive modeling of upper airway obstructive disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3255, USA.
authors.forename: Kushal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wijesundara
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7070, USA.
authors.forename: Carlton
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zdanski
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7070, USA.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kimbell
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3255, USA.
authors.forename: Hillel
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Price
authors.affiliation: Physical Sciences Inc., New England Business Center, Andover, MA 01810, USA.
authors.forename: Nicusor
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Iftimia
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3255, USA ; Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7513, USA ; Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7575, USA.
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Oldenburg
keywords: (170.2150) Endoscopic imaging; (170.3880) Medical and biological imaging; (170.3890) Medical optics instrumentation; (170.4500) Optical coherence tomography