Feasibility of optical coherence tomography for high-resolution imaging of XXXX gastrointestinal tract malignancies.

@entity1 @entity355 @entity1066 @entity957 @entity31 @entity344 @entity694
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a new imaging technology which can perform high-resolution, cross-sectional imaging of the internal microstructure of biological tissues. OCT is analogous to ultrasound, except that it measures the intensity of back-reflected infrared light rather than sound waves. OCT performs two- and three-dimensional imaging of tissue microstructure in situ and in real time. It can achieve image resolutions approaching the cellular level over approximately the same imaging depths as a conventional biopsy. In this article we examine the feasibility of OCT for high-resolution imaging of @entity344 with ex-vivo imaging of normal and pathologic microstructures. Tissue, both normal and neoplastic, was obtained from @entity1 undergoing surgical resection after an initial diagnosis of a @entity344 . The tissue samples were imaged prior to fixation using a laboratory OCT system. The OCT system consists of a fiber optic-based Michelson interferometer, a commercially available amplified superluminscent light source, and a computer for data acquisition. The images were subsequently compared with histological cross-sections corresponding to the imaged areas. The stratified squamous epithelium of the normal esophagus was clearly visible in the OCT images and contrasted to the disorganized and non-uniform nature of the mucosal layers of @entity355 and @entity957 . The columnar epithelial morphology as well as other mucosal structures in normal colon were distinctly visible using OCT. In contrast, disorganization of the normal mucosal layers and @entity1066 were identified in tissues from @entity31 and @entity694 . The ability of OCT to image tissue microstructure at high resolutions makes it a potentially powerful technology for minimally invasive assessment of the gastrointestinal tract and the evaluation of early neoplastic changes.
