Optical coherence tomography based angle-resolved backscattering studies on bovine tendon and cartilage

The difference in the genetic make up of the constituent molecules in collagen fibers in tendon and articular cartilage is what makes them mechanically and functionally different. A comparative study carried out on the differences in the angle-resolved back-scattering properties obtained from optical coherence tomography based studies on the two different types of scatterers: collagen I and collagen II fibers in bovine tendon and bovine articular cartilage sample, respectively, is reported here. Tendon sample shows greater anisotropy in the angle-resolved scattering profile compared to that obtained from articular cartilage sample. Rayleigh-Gans scattering approximation is used to provide the qualitative support needed to substantiate differences in the light scattering profiles obtained from the two tissues based on the size and type of the scatterers involved.