OCT elastography: imaging microscopic deformation and strain of tissue.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been applied to the study of the microscopic deformation of biological tissue under compressive stress. We describe the hardware and theory of operation of an OCT elastography system that measures internal displacements as small as a few micrometers by using 2D cross-correlation speckle tracking. Results obtained from gelatin scattering models, pork meat, and intact skin suggest possible medical applications of the technique.