In vivo optical coherence tomography measurements in the cervix using a fiber optic probe

Summary form only given. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has bloomed as a minimally invasive imaging technique capable of a few micron resolution with significant penetration depth. In vivo imaging in low and highly scattering tissue has been demonstrated. Specialized delivery probes for in vivo measurements have also been reported. We have designed and built a probe-based OCT system to image cervical tissue in vivo at the time of colposcopy. The diagnostically relevant region of interest is the transformation zone of the cervix. The system is a fiber optic-based Michelson interferometer with a galvanometer arm scanning a retroreflector in the reference arm. Delivery to the sample is through a fiber optic probe terminated by a GRIN lens. A sample image of a protruding capillary hemangioma of the skin is shown.