In vitro examination of suspicious oral lesions using optical coherence tomography

• Published in: British journal of oral & maxillofacial surgery Vol. 48; no. 1; pp. 18 - 25
• Main Authors: Jerjes, Waseem, Upile, Tahwinder, Conn, Brendan, Hamdoon, Zaid, Betz, Christian S, McKenzie, Gordon, Radhi, Hani, Vourvachis, Michael, El Maaytah, Mohammed, Sandison, Ann, Jay, Amrita, Hopper, Colin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Basement Membrane - pathology; Biological and medical sciences; Biopsy; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - diagnosis; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - pathology; Dentistry; Diagnosis, Differential; Epithelium - pathology; Erythroplakia; Erythroplasia - diagnosis; Erythroplasia - pathology; Feasibility Studies; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods; Interferometric tomographic imaging; Keratins - analysis; Leukoplakia; Leukoplakia, Oral - diagnosis; Leukoplakia, Oral - pathology; Medical sciences; Mouth Mucosa - pathology; Mouth Neoplasms - diagnosis; Mouth Neoplasms - pathology; OCT; Optical biopsy; Optical coherence tomography; Optical diagnostics; Oral cancer; Oral dysplasia; Oral Ulcer - diagnosis; Oral Ulcer - pathology; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Pilot Projects; Precancerous Conditions - diagnosis; Precancerous Conditions - pathology; Surgery; Swept-source Fourier-domain OCT; Tomography, Optical Coherence - instrumentation; Tomography, Optical Coherence - methods; Tongue Neoplasms - diagnosis; Tongue Neoplasms - pathology; OCT; Swept-source Fourier-domain OCT; Oral cancer; Optical biopsy; Optical coherence tomography; Interferometric tomographic imaging; Optical diagnostics; Erythroplakia; Oral dysplasia; Leukoplakia; Treatment; Radiodiagnosis; Stomatology; Surgery; Coherence; Oral administration; Tomography; Lesion; In vitro
• ISSN: 0266-4356; 1532-1940
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bjoms.2009.04.019

Abstract We compared findings of optical coherence tomography (OCT) with histopathological results of suspicious oral lesions to assess the feasibility of using OCT to identify malignant tissue. Thirty-four oral lesions from 27 patients had swept-source frequency-domain OCT. Four variables were assessed (changes in keratin, epithelial, and sub-epithelial layers, and identification of the basement membrane) and from this we calculated whether or not there were architectural changes. These data were then compared with histopathological results. Two clinicians, who were unaware of the clinical and histopathological diagnoses, decided whether biopsy was necessary. The basement membrane was recognised in only 15 oral lesions. OCT could identify diseased areas but could not provide a diagnosis or differentiate between lesions. The two clinicians, who recommended biopsy agreed in all cases. This pilot study confirms the feasibility of using OCT to identify architectural changes in malignant tissues.