Novel biomedical imaging that combines intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT)

We have developed a new biomedical imaging probe combining intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-PbTiO₃ (PMN-PT) needle ultrasound transducers with an aperture size of 0.6 mm were fabricated. The measured center frequency and -6 dB fractional bandwidth of the PMN-PT needle ultrasound transducer were 35 MHz and 60 %, respectively. A mirror was mounted at the tip of the probe at position 45deg to change the propagation direction of the ultrasound beam and the laser beam. In vitro images of rabbit trachea and aorta forming from this combined probe have been acquired. These results demonstrate that the complementary nature of these two modalities may yield beneficial results that could not be obtained otherwise.