Quantitative comparison of analysis methods for spectroscopic optical coherence tomography.

Spectroscopic optical coherence tomography (sOCT) enables the mapping of chromophore concentrations and image contrast enhancement in tissue. Acquisition of depth resolved spectra by sOCT requires analysis methods with optimal spectral/spatial resolution and spectral recovery. In this article, we quantitatively compare the available methods, i.e. the short time Fourier transform (STFT), wavelet transforms, the Wigner-Ville distribution and the dual window method through simulations in tissue-like media. We conclude that all methods suffer from the trade-off in spectral/spatial resolution, and that the STFT is the optimal method for the specific application of the localized quantification of hemoglobin concentration and oxygen saturation.