title: Multi-modal optical imaging characterization of atherosclerotic plaques.
abstract: We combined cross-polarization optical coherence tomography (CP OCT) and non-linear microscopy based on second harmonic generation (SHG) and two-photon-excited fluorescence (2PEF) to assess collagen and elastin fibers and other vascular structures in the development of atherosclerosis, including identification of vulnerable plaques, which remains an important clinical problem and imaging application. CP OCT's ability to visualize tissue birefringence and cross-scattering adds new information about the microstructure and composition of the plaque. However its interpretation can be ambiguous, because backscattering contrast may have a similar appearance to the birefringence related fringes. Our results represent a step towards minimally invasive characterization and monitoring of different stages of atherosclerosis, including vulnerable plaques. CP OCT image of intimal thickening in the human coronary artery. The dark stripe in the cross-polarization channel (arrow) is a polarization fringe related to the phase retardation between two eigen polarization states. It is histologically located in the area of the lipid pool, however this stripe is a polarization artifact, rather than direct visualization of the lipid pool.
authors.affiliation: Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy, 603005 Minin and Pozharsky Sq., 10/1, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. kgybarkova@mail.ru.
authors.forename: Ekaterina V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Gubarkova
authors.affiliation: Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy, 603005 Minin and Pozharsky Sq., 10/1, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.|N.I. Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, 603950, 23 Gagarin St., Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
authors.forename: Varvara V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Dudenkova
authors.affiliation: Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy, 603005 Minin and Pozharsky Sq., 10/1, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
authors.forename: Felix I
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Feldchtein
authors.affiliation: Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy, 603005 Minin and Pozharsky Sq., 10/1, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
authors.forename: Lidia B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Timofeeva
authors.affiliation: Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy, 603005 Minin and Pozharsky Sq., 10/1, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
authors.forename: Elena B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Kiseleva
authors.affiliation: Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy, 603005 Minin and Pozharsky Sq., 10/1, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
authors.forename: Sergei S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Kuznetsov
authors.affiliation: Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy, 603005 Minin and Pozharsky Sq., 10/1, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
authors.forename: Boris E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Shakhov
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Physics RAS, 603950 Ulyanov St., 46, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexander A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Moiseev
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Physics RAS, 603950 Ulyanov St., 46, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
authors.forename: Valentin M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Gelikonov
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Physics RAS, 603950 Ulyanov St., 46, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
authors.forename: Gregory V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Gelikonov
authors.affiliation: Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy, 603005 Minin and Pozharsky Sq., 10/1, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.|Departments of Medical Biophysics and Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2M9, Canada.|Ontario Cancer Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2M9, Canada.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vitkin
authors.affiliation: Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy, 603005 Minin and Pozharsky Sq., 10/1, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
authors.forename: Natalia D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Gladkova
mesh_terms: D050197:Atherosclerosis; D001718:Birefringence; D003094:Collagen / Q000737:chemistry; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004549:Elastin / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D036641:Microscopy, Fluorescence, Multiphoton; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen; D004549:Elastin
keywords: Cross-Polarization Optical Coherence Tomography (CP OCT); atherosclerotic plaque (AP); non-linear microscopy