Three-dimensional multiphoton/optical coherence tomography for diagnostic applications in dermatology

• Published in: Journal of biophotonics Vol. 6; no. 4; pp. 352 - 362
• Main Authors: Alex, Aneesh, Weingast, Jessika, Weinigel, Martin, Kellner-Höfer, Marcel, Nemecek, Romina, Binder, Michael, Pehamberger, Hubert, König, Karsten, Drexler, Wolfgang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin WILEY-VCH Verlag 01.04.2013; WILEY‐VCH Verlag; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Carcinoma, Basal Cell - diagnosis; Carcinoma, Basal Cell - pathology; Cicatrix - diagnosis; Cicatrix - pathology; Dermatitis, Seborrheic - diagnosis; Dermatitis, Seborrheic - pathology; Dermatology; Humans; Imaging, Three-Dimensional - methods; in vivo imaging; multimodal imaging; Multiphoton tomography; Nevus - diagnosis; Nevus - pathology; non-invasive; optical coherence tomography; Photons; Skin - cytology; Skin - pathology; Skin Diseases - diagnosis; Skin Diseases - pathology; Skin Neoplasms - diagnosis; Skin Neoplasms - pathology; three dimensional; Tomography; Tomography, Optical Coherence - methods
• ISSN: 1864-063X; 1864-0648
• DOI: 10.1002/jbio.201200085

A preliminary clinical trial using state‐of‐the‐art multiphoton tomography (MPT) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) for three‐dimensional (3D) multimodal in vivo imaging of normal skin, nevi, scars and pathologic skin lesions has been conducted. MPT enabled visualization of sub‐cellular details with axial and transverse resolutions of <2 μm and <0.5 μm, respectively, from a volume of 0.35 × 0.35 × 0.2 mm3 at a frame rate of 0.14 Hz (512 × 512 pixels). State‐of‐the‐art OCT, operating at a center wavelength of 1300 nm, was capable of acquiring 3D images depicting the layered architecture of skin with axial and transverse resolutions ∼8 μm and ∼20 μm, respectively, from a volume of 7 × 3.5 × 1.5 mm3 at a frame rate of 46 Hz (1024 × 1024 pixels). This study demonstrates the clinical diagnostic potential of MPT/OCT for pre‐screening relatively large areas of skin using 3D OCT to identify suspicious regions at microscopic level and subsequently using high resolution MPT to obtain zoomed in, sub‐cellular level information of the respective regions (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)