Background and Study Aims: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a new technique for
high-resolution cross-sectional imaging using infrared light. It has over 10 times
the resolution of the currently available ultrasonography. Although in vitro studies
have suggested its potential for gastrointestinal imaging, in vivo studies have not
been possible so far on account of technical limitations.
Patients and Methods: We describe here the first clinical study of OCT during routine
endoscopy obtaining high resolution images of the normal esophageal, gastric, and
colonic mucosa. Portable OCT equipment and a fiberoptic-based flexible probe for endoscopic
use have been developed by the authors.
Results: Differences in the optical properties of epithelium, lamina propria, muscularis
mucosae, and submucosa enabled distinction of the mucosal architecture. Owing to the
low penetration depth (1 mm) and high resolution (10 μm), OCT images may become comparable
to mucosal histological findings. Image acquisition time was 1.5 seconds, and the
entire procedure was completed within 5 minutes. Endoscopic OCT images of colonic
adenoma and carcinoma were also studied and compared with the corresponding histology.
Conclusions: The newly developed portable OCT equipment and flexible fiberoptic probe
makes OCT a promising method for endoscopic “optical biopsy”.
References
Compact fast-scanning OCT device for in vivo biotissue imaging. In: Conference on lasers and electro-optics, OSA technical digest series. Baltimore;
Optical Society of America, 1996: 58
E-mail:jaeckle@uke.uni-hamburg.de
