1.7-μm spectroscopic spectral-domain optical coherence tomography for imaging lipid distribution within blood vessel.

We have developed a spectroscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT) for imaging lipid distribution within blood vessel in order to detect coronary artery plaque. A 1.7-μm spectral-domain OCT with A-scan rate of 47 kHz is fabricated using a broadband light source based on super-luminescent diodes and spectrometers based on extended InGaAs line sensors. We demonstrate imaging of lipid distribution in an in vitro artery model with lipid. The sensitivity and specificity in the differentiation between artery and lipid are 87% and 90% in the training, respectively. The validation test also shows detection of lipid with an accuracy over 90%.