Characterizing of tissue microstructure with single detector polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography

Collagen, the most abundant protein in the body, may provide invaluable clinical information of many major disorders due to its birefringence. Assessing collagen birefringence with polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) could improve characterization of in vivo tissue pathology. Beyond detecting collagen organization, the information potentially gained from PSOCT include collagen type, form vs. intrinsic birefringence, the local environment, collagen angle, and the presence of multiple birefringence materials. In this work, we applied fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis to both the mathematical model and in vitro bovine meniscus for improved PS-OCT data analysis. The FFT analysis yielded information on tissue composition in addition to identify the presence of organized collagen. PS-OCT images of Helistat (R) phantoms (collagen type I) were also analyzed with the ultimate goal of improved tissue characterization. This study could advance the insights gained from PS-OCT images beyond simply determining the presence or absence of birefringence.