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A
new way of seeing
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About Optical Coherence Tomography
OCT provides live pictures below the surface of soft tissue, which makes it a valuable aid to cancer diagnosis. Images to a depth of 2 mm can be captured at a resolution of a few microns – close to that of a microscope. OCT was invented in 1991 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is now maturing into a tool with valuable clinical applications. It has already been successfully exploited in the ophthalmic sector to image layers of the retina. By inventing new optics for high-speed high-resolution imaging of soft tissue, MDL is successfully applying OCT to body tissue and internal organs. MDL is developing a hand-held OCT scanner to view medical conditions near the tissue surface. The device is intended as an alternative or complimentary diagnostic tool to biopsies, where a sample of tissue is surgically removed for analysis. This can be a painful process with a long wait for results. OCT promises immediate diagnosis without pain or delay. MDL is addressing the engineering and physics barriers which have, until now, prevented OCT from delivering sufficient image detail to distinguish between normal tissue, cancers, non-cancerous inflammation, and pre-cancerous tissue. For a more complete coverage of OCT and the clinical applications, please see this useful article published in Biophotonics International. The workings of OCT Visible light is heavily scattered by tissue, which is why we can’t see inside the body. OCT uses a physical phenomenon called interference to detect only the tiny proportion of light that is not scattered. It works by focusing a laser onto tissue, and using an interferometer to mix the reflected light from below the tissue surface with the original light source. The interferometer only detects light that has not been scattered, producing a signal that builds up a picture below the surface. A powerful microscope lens is used to magnify the images. The working limit of OCT is 2 mm, because beyond this depth all light is scattered at least once. For example OCT images from our development system, please go
here. OCT was invented by Professor James Fujimoto at MIT in the USA. It was successfully commercialised in the ophthalmic sector where it currently generates sales in excess of £30m a year. Commercial development of OCT in other clinical sectors was delayed because the higher density of body and organ tissue has a greater scattering effect on light. The invention of Fourier Domain OCT (FD-OCT) at the University of Vienna, coupled with new laser technologies, enabled breakthroughs in OCT image quality and capture rate. This is being exploited by MDL to create a powerful new tool which enables clinicians to see live images of cancer. For more information about Michelson Diagnostics Ltd and the application of OCT for cancer diagnosis and treatment, please contact us.
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The cancer
scanner developed by Michelson Diagnostics Ltd (MDL) is based on Optical
Coherence Tomography (OCT). It uses light instead of sound waves to produce
better images than ultrasound.