Super-resolution in Optical Coherence Tomography(OCT)

Max Heinig, Alexander Schlaefer, Achim Schweikard

Abstract

Introduction: Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a commonly used imaging technology in medicine, for example in ophthalmology, dermatology and urology. Some applications would benefit from higher spatial resolution and speckle noise reduction. We present a robust and effective method to enhance spatial resolution in OCT. The proposed method also reduces the inherent speckle noise. Materials and Methods: The probe of a Thorlabs FD-OCT spectral radar (frequency 1.2kHz, resolution 6.2um) was mounted on a piezo XY stage, pointing in direction of the X-axis. To acquire images, the probe was moved stepwise in longitudinal direction. Every step moved the probe a forth of the spatial resolution of the OCT system. After each step data was gathered from the OCT and stored at the appropriate position of the so called virtual detector array (VDA). The VDA’s data was processed by a super-resolution algorithm. Data for the same depth in the tissue was averaged to account for speckle noise. The resulting 1D image was low-pass filtered, yielding a low noise image at twice the resolution of the OCT system. To acquire 2D images, the probe was moved along the lateral direction using the piezo stage. Results: Canvas tape was used as phantom to test the system. Spatial resolution of the Thorlabs FD-OCT spectral radar was doubled from 6.2um to 3.1um. Images were acquired with and without using the super-resolution algorithm. The results show that speckle noise is substantially reduced and spatial resolution of the image is effectively doubled. Conclusion: Applying super-resolution algorithms to OCT yields promising results in enhancing resolution. A second benefit is clearly visible reduction of speckle noise. We plan to test the presented approach with real tissue and in-vivo to study its potential use for micro-navigation, e.g., in neurosurgery.
Original languageEnglish
JournalWorld Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering
ISSN1680-0737
Publication statusPublished - 2009

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