Parametric imaging of attenuation by optical coherence tomography: review of models, methods, and clinical translation

Significance: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) provides cross-sectional and volumetric images of backscattering from biological tissue that reveal the tissue morphology. The strength of the scattering, characterized by an attenuation coefficient, represents an alternative and complementary tissue optical property, which can be characterized by parametric imaging of the OCT attenuation coefficient. Over the last 15 years, a multitude of studies have been reported seeking to advance methods to determine the OCT attenuation coefficient and developing them toward clinical applications. Aim: Our review provides an overview of the main models and methods, their assumptions and applicability, together with a survey of preclinical ...