We developed an endoscopic microscopy system with 20 nm accuracy that affords inspection through narrow gaps using a thin, 1.5 mm diameter probe. Accuracy was improved using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). The frequency modulated light source is stabilized with closed control from self-interference measurement. The probe is driven by two miniature motors, which allow three-dimensional scanning of an internal surface. Imaging performance is 60 frames per second. The high accuracy with narrow clearance capabilities of this system reduces the need for machine overhauls, which affords trustworthy daily inspections and hence greater machine reliability.

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We used optical coherence tomography to examine the effect of a coating material containing surface reaction-type pre-reacted glass-ionomer (S-PRG) filler on primary enamel demineralization in 18 extracted human primary teeth. The pulp was removed, and each tooth was ultrasonically cleaned with distilled water. Six teeth were treated with 0.1-M lactic acid buffer solution (De group). In the second group (n = 6), a thin film of coating material was applied before demineralization (PRG group). A third group (Control group; n = 6) was maintained in artificial saliva. Using optical coherence tomography, we measured peak signal intensity (dB) and width at 1 ...

The purpose of this study was to compare optical properties of root caries under two observing conditions using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). In vitro and natural root caries were observed by SS-OCT under wet and dry conditions, followed by confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and transverse microradiography (TMR). Signal intensity (SI), distance between SI peaks (SI-distance) and optical lesion depth were obtained from OCT. Lesion depth was measured from CLSM; lesion depth (LD TMR ) and mineral loss (ML) were obtained from TMR. In vitro root caries under wet and dry conditions showed different OCT images and SI patterns. Lesion ...

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This study evaluated the effectiveness of swept-source optical coherence tomography (ss-OCT) for detecting calculus and root cementum during periodontal therapy. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) images were taken before and after removal of subgingival calculus from extracted teeth and compared with non-decalcified histological sections. Porcine gingival sheets of various thicknesses were applied to the root surfaces of extracted teeth with calculus and OCT images were taken. OCT images were also taken before and after scaling and root planing (SRP) in human patients. In vitro , calculus was clearly detected as a white-gray amorphous structure on the root surface, which disappeared after removal ...

Although various apparatuses have been developed to assess the skin mechanical function, the spatial viscoelastic behavior of each skin layer including the epidermis and dermis is yet unclear. To resolve that lack of clarity, we built a handmade system combining a suction device with optical coherence tomography (OCT). OCT can visualize the vertical section of the skin with high spatial resolution and high acquisition speed. In addition, we developed an algorithm for time-dependent strain tomography, named Dynamic Optical Coherence Straingraphy (D-OCSA), which can analyze the changes in strain distributions over time in sequential OCT images. Using the system, successive OCT ...

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Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is rare, but it frequently presents as acute myocardial infarction. It is frequently fatal and most cases are diagnosed at autopsy. We herein present the case of a 65-year-old woman with ST-elevation and myocardial infarction due to SCAD. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) helped us to confirm the diagnosis. The information on the intravascular morphology provided by OCT imaging is much more detailed in comparison to that provided by coronary angiography (CAG) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of glucose fluctuation on neointimal proliferation after stent implantation by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in a diabetic/hypercholesterolemic (DM/HC) swine model. A total of 24 everolimus-eluting stents (EES) were implanted in the right coronary artery (RCA) of the animals using a 20% overstretch ratio. The 24 swines were divided into a DM-high glucose fluctuation (HGF) group (n = 8), DMlow glucose fluctuation (LGF) group (n = 8), and a control group (n = 8). Percent diameter stenosis (%DS), late loss (LL), percent area stenosis (%AS), and neointimal thickness (NIT) were analyzed ...

Intravascular images of coronary stenosis by antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) would be beneficial to understand the mechanism of this disease. A 59-year-old woman with APS/systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE) underwent emergent coronary angiography which revealed stenosis with micro channels in the proximal left anterior descending artery. According to optical coherence tomography (OCT), the central lumen was surrounded by a thick septum with a homogenous and high intensity. Multiple small channels existed near the vessel wall with diffuse intimal hyperplasia. White thrombi were floating distal to the stenosis. Intravascular images obtained by optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed the microstructure of complex coronary ...

Objective: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has recently been applied for the characterization of carotid plaques, but few studies have compared OCT findings with findings from histopathologic examination of carotid plaques. We consider the accuracy, problems, and limitation of OCT findings by comparing OCT findings of carotid artery stenosis and pathological specimen of removed carotid plaque, and confirm that the interpretation of coronary artery findings of OCT can be applied to OCT findings of carotid artery plaque. Case Presentation: A 63-year-old man with asymptomatic left carotid stenosis underwent carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Findings for histopathologic assessment of excised plaque were compared with ...

The drug-coated balloon (DCB) is a device that is used to reduce the risk of stent re-implantation in patients with in-stent restenosis (ISR). However, imaging findings of the drug covering the neointimal plaque immediately after treatment of ISR by DCB, and during follow-up, have only been discussed in a few reports. Herein, we describe the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and angioscopy to evaluate ISR before and after treatment with DCB, and during the follow-up period in 3 patients. The patients developed critical ISR during the follow-up period after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. The patients included a 70-year-old woman ...

There has been increasing attention on neoatherosclerosis in coronary arteries following implantation of bare-metal and drug-eluting stents.1,2 Neoatherosclerosis might be a concern even in the field of peripheral artery disease (PAD). A 75-year-old man with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and a history of right iliac artery stenting with a Wallstent 12 years previously, was referred to hospital for treatment of recurrent/progressive intermittent claudication (Rutherford category 3) that had started 6 months earlier. Ankle brachial index (ABI) was 0.51 on the right. Diagnostic angiography showed significant in-stent restenosis in the right iliac artery stent (Figure A). Intravascular ...

Background and aims: The sweat glands and peripheral vessels beneath the skin surface act as minute organs governed by the skin sympathetic nerves and have important physiological functions for body temperature control and nutrition support along with maintenance of a peripheral organization. Dynamics of the mental sweating of sweat glands and the peripheral vessels reflect the activity of a sympathetic nerve. The purpose of this paper is to study the dynamic observation and analysis of sweat glands and a peripheral vessels by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Materials and Methods: In the dynamic analysis of mental sweating of sweat glands, after ...

Decision making on lesion preparation and stent/scaffold optimization are cornerstones of patient outcome. Intravascular imaging recently emerged as a critical modality to achieve better results of stent/scaffold implantation and superior clinical outcomes compared with coronary angiography alone. Optical coherence tomography (OCT), a light-based intravascular imaging modality with high frame rate in acquisition and very high speed pullback, can interrogate the target vessel in a couple of seconds, and immediately display a pristine longitudinal lumen contour with automatic detection of lesion severity, site and lumen/stent areas. Further, OCT provides pivotal information on sites of calcium, with accurate measurements ...

Background: The OCTOPUS registry prospectively evaluates the procedural and long-term outcomes of saphenous vein graft (SVG) PCI. The current study assessed the morphology of de novo lesions and in-stent restenosis (ISR) in patients undergoing PCI of SVG. Methods and Results: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) of SVG lesions in consecutive patients presenting with stable CAD and ACS was carried out. Thirty-nine patients (32 de novo and 10 ISR lesions) were included in the registry. ISR occurred in 5 BMS and 5 DES. There were no differences in the presence of plaque rupture and thrombus between de novo lesions and ISR. Lipid-rich ...

Swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) is an interferometric imaging technique. This study aimed to assess SS-OCT as a diagnostic tool for the evaluation of occlusal fissure depth and sealant penetration into fissure. Seventy investigation sites of occlusal fissures without visible evidence of caries were categorized into four groups (smooth, shallow, intermediate, and deep fissures). Categorization utilized two methods: 1) visually, using a computer screen, and 2) using SS-OCT images. After sealant placement, penetration was observed in SS-OCT. The results obtained from SS-OCT and visual inspections were compared with those of confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). The diagnostic power of ...

Background: Target lesion calcification is known to influence percutaneous coronary intervention. We evaluated the effects of rotational atherectomy (RA) and subsequent balloon angioplasty on calcified coronary lesions using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods and Results: Thirty-seven calcified lesions in 36 patients were treated with RA followed by balloon angioplasty and stent implantation. In all patients, serial OCT images obtained after RA, after balloon angioplasty, and after stent implantation were analyzed at 1-mm intervals. The arc and thickness of the calcium component were measured after RA. The formation of calcium cracks was assessed after balloon angioplasty. A total of 625 segments ...

Endolymphatic hydrops is a disorder in which an excessive amount of endolymph fluid causes an increase in the pressure of the endolymphatic system of the inner ear. In cochlea, endolymphatic hydrops can cause stretching in the scala media , a tubular construction that, along with two other similar structures, the scala vestibuli and scala tympani , runs through the cochlea from the base to the top. Visualizing the enlargement of the scala media has traditionally been done by histological study of tissue sections, and the degree can be calculated by comparing the ratio of the area of the scala media to the ...

Background: The edge vascular response (EVR) has been linked to important prognostic implications in patients treated with permanent metallic stents. We aimed to investigate the relationship of EVR with the geometric changes in the everolimus-eluting bioresorbable scaffold using serial optical coherence tomography (OCT) analysis. Methods and Results: In the first-in-man ABSORB trial, 28 patients (29 lesions) underwent serial OCT at 4 different time points (Cohort B1: post-procedure, 6, 24, and 60 months [n=13]; Cohort B2: post-procedure, 12, 36, and 60 months [n=15]) following implantation of the scaffold. In Cohort B1, there was no significant luminal change at the ...

Background: The role of culprit plaque and related atherothrombotic components on incomplete stent apposition (ISA) occurrence after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI) is unknown. Methods and Results: ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients undergoing p-PCI with an everolimus-eluting stent were prospectively investigated with optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the infarct-related artery before, after stenting and at 9 months. OCT data, aspirated thrombus and serum inflammatory biomarkers were analyzed. 114 patients with 114 lesions were evaluated. Acute ISA occurred in 82 lesions (71.9%), preferentially in larger vessels with a median area of 0.2 mm 2 . The presence of thrombus ...

The role of pentraxin 3 (PTX3) has been implicated in the process of plaque vulnerability. However, few studies have addressed the direct relationship between plaque morphology and plasma PTX3. We evaluated the relationship between coronary vulnerable plaque, assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT), and plasma PTX3 in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). OCT was used to determine plaque vulnerability in 51 patients with non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS; n = 17) and stable angina (SA; n = 34). Both highly-sensitive C-reactive protein and systemic plasma PTX3 were measured. Based on the OCT findings, patients were divided into 3 groups ...