High speed rotary system for catheter based 3-D imaging with optical coherence tomography (OCT)

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is an addition to the other tomographic imaging techniques of x-ray computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound imaging. OCT uses optical reflections of biological tissues as opposed to x-rays, RF fields, and sound waves to obtain images. A rotary and pullback system has been developed for use with OCT. The system was developed to facilitate the three dimensional imaging of various lumens in humans and animals. The system is capable of rotating at a rate of 200 Hz. At this rate the rotary system will allow for a frame acquisition rate of 200 fps which is significantly higher than the highest published acquisition rate to date of 108 fps. The probes used with the system were modeled after the Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) miniature torque cable design. The probes can be sealed and sterilized between subjects without being damaged; unlike the single use IVUS probes. The rotary system was used to image the outer ear of a mouse in vivo. A lateral slice from the resulting three dimensional image was compared to the general histology of a mouse ear. The image compared well to the general anatomy as found on the histology.