Optical Coherence Tomography and Elastography for Tissue Imaging and Biomechanical Characterization

This dissertation reports the developments of novel methods for tissue imaging and characterization of their biomechanical properties based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence elastography (OCE) techniques. This dissertation focuses on the development of: 1) novel optical imaging techniques for mouse embryonic imaging and; 2) quantitative evaluation of the mechanical properties of biological tissues. The optical embryonic imaging section has two sub-sections: a) development of new technique to extend the OCT imaging depth for mouse embryonic imaging by performing multi-angle scanning and b) demonstration of the feasibility of combining the OCT and selective plane illumination microscopy (SPIM) for more comprehensive murine embryonic tissue characterization. The OCE section is subdivided into three sub-sections: a) investigating the age-related changes in the viscoelastic properties of crystalline lens with a co-focused ultrasound and OCE system; b) investigating the effect of intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation on the mechanical properties of the crystalline lens; and c) utilizing Lorentz force excitation and ultra-fast OCE to quantify tissue biomechanical properties. This dissertation presents advanced imaging techniques to further improve developmental biology research as well as elastography. The results of this dissertation were published in 22 peer-reviewed manuscripts (including 4 as the first author) [1-22].