Doppler optical coherence tomography for interventional cardiovascular guidance: in vivo feasibility and forward-viewing probe flow phantom demonstration

We demonstrate the potential of a forward-looking Doppler optical coherence tomography (OCT) probe for color flow imaging in several commonly seen narrowed artery morphologies. As a proof of concept, we present imaging results of a surgically exposed thrombotic occlusion model that was imaged superficially to demonstrate that Doppler OCT can identify flow within the recanalization channels of a blocked artery. We present Doppler OCT images in which the flow is nearly antiparallel to the imaging direction. These images are acquired using a flexible 2.2-mm-diam catheter that used electrostatic actuation to scan up to 30 deg ahead of the distal ...
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