A high-efficiency fiber-based imaging system for co-registered autofluorescence and optical coherence tomography

• Published in: Biomedical optics express Vol. 5; no. 9; pp. 2978 - 2987
• Main Authors: Pahlevaninezhad, Hamid, Lee, Anthony M D, Shaipanich, Tawimas, Raizada, Rashika, Cahill, Lucas, Hohert, Geoffrey, Yang, Victor X D, Lam, Stephen, MacAulay, Calum, Lane, Pierre
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Optical Society of America 01.09.2014
• Subjects: (110.0110) Imaging systems; (170.2520) Fluorescence microscopy; (110.2350) Fiber optics imaging; (110.4500) Optical coherence tomography; (170.3890) Medical optics instrumentation
• ISSN: 2156-7085; 2156-7085
• DOI: 10.1364/BOE.5.002978

We present a power-efficient fiber-based imaging system capable of co-registered autofluorescence imaging and optical coherence tomography (AF/OCT). The system employs a custom fiber optic rotary joint (FORJ) with an embedded dichroic mirror to efficiently combine the OCT and AF pathways. This three-port wavelength multiplexing FORJ setup has a throughput of more than 83% for collected AF emission, significantly more efficient compared to previously reported fiber-based methods. A custom 900 µm diameter catheter ‒ consisting of a rotating lens assembly, double-clad fiber (DCF), and torque cable in a stationary plastic tube ‒ was fabricated to allow AF/OCT imaging of small airways in vivo. We demonstrate the performance of this system ex vivo in resected porcine airway specimens and in vivo in human on fingers, in the oral cavity, and in peripheral airways.