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Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive high-resolution imaging technique that permits the detection of cancerous and precancerous lesions of the uterine cervix. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new system that integrates an OCT device into a microscope. OCT images were taken from loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) specimens under microscopic guidance. The images were blinded with respect to their origin within the microscopic image and analyzed independently by two investigators using initially defined criteria and later compared to the corresponding histology. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated with respect to the correct identification of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL). The interinvestigator agreement was assessed by using Cohen’s kappa statistics. About 160 OCT images were obtained from 20 LEEP specimens. Sixty randomly chosen images were used to define reproducible criteria for evaluation. The assessment of the remaining 100 images showed a sensitivity of 88% (second investigator 84%) and a specificity of 69% (65%) in detecting HSIL. Surgical microscopy-guided OCT appears to be a promising technique for immediate assessment of microanatomical changes. In the gynecological setting, the combination of OCT with a colposcope may improve the detection of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions.

Objective: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive high-resolution imaging technique that permits characterization of microarchitectural features in real time. Previous ex vivo studies have shown that the technique is capable of distinguishing between parathyroid tissue, thyroid tissue, lymph nodes, and adipose tissue. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the practicality of OCT during open and minimally invasive parathyroid and thyroid surgery., Methods: During parathyroid and thyroid surgery, OCT images were generated from parathyroid glands, thyroid tissue, lymph nodes, and adipose tissue. The images were immediately assessed by the operating team using the previously defined criteria. Second, the OCT images were blinded with respect to their origin and analyzed by two investigators. Whenever possible the OCT findings were matched to the corresponding histology., Results: A total of 227 OCT images from 27 patients undergoing open or minimally invasive thyroid or parathyroid surgery were analyzed. Parathyroid glands were correctly identified in 69.2%, thyroid tissue in 74.5%, lymph nodes in 37.5%, and adipose tissue in 69.2%. 43 OCT images (18.9%) could not be allocated to one of the tissue types (Table 2). Sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing parathyroid tissue from the other entities were 69% (63 true positive, 13 false negative findings, 15 images where an allocation was not possible) and 66%, respectively (71 true negative, 9 false positive, 28 images where an assessment was not possible)., Conclusion: OCT is capable of distinguishing between parathyroid, thyroid, and adipose tissue. An accurate differentiation between parathyroid tissue and lymph nodes was not possible. The disappointing results compared to the previous ex vivo study are related to problems handling the endoscopic probe intraoperatively. However, further refinement of this new technology may lead to OCT systems with higher resolution and intraoperative probes that are easier to handle.

Background and Objective: Previous studies have shown that the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) permits the differentiation between parathyroid tissue, thyroid tissue, lymph nodes and adipose tissue. We investigated the backscattering intensity profiles of OCT images in order to determine whether significant differences between these tissue types exist., Methods: Mean backscattering intensity profiles were obtained from OCT images of parathyroid glands, thyroid tissue, lymph nodes and adipose tissue. The profiles were analyzed employing Fisher's Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). The results were cross validated employing improved parameter estimation techniques., Results: Mean backscattering intensity profiles from 300 OCT images of 34 patients undergoing thyroid or parathyroid surgery were analyzed. The overall rate of correct classifications was 96.15%. The cross validation employing improved parameter estimation techniques yielded results identical to those derived from Fisher's LDA., Conclusion: Besides the individual assessment of OCT images by interpreting morphological criteria, backscattering intensity measurements can reliably distinguish between different tissue entities., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can be used as an adjunct to colposcopy in order to detect precancerous and cancerous cervical lesions. Optical clearing agents (OCAs) temporarily reduce the optical scattering of biological tissues. The purpose of this study was to investigate their influence on OCT imaging. OCT images were taken from unsuspicious and suspicious areas of fresh conization specimens immediately after resection and 5, 10, and 20 min after application of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or polyethylene glycol (PEG). Corresponding histologies were obtained from all sites. The images taken 5, 10, and 20 min after application of OCA were compared to the initial images with respect to changes in brightness, contrast, and scanning depth using a standard nonparametric test of differences of proportions. Further, mean intensity backscattering curves were calculated from all OCT images in the histological groups CIN2, CIN3, inflammation, and normal epithelium. Mean difference profiles within each of these groups were determined, reflecting the mean differences between the condition before the application of OCA and the exposure times 5, 10, and 20 min, respectively. The null hypothesis was tested employing the Dicky-Fuller-test, Hotelings-test and run test. The visual analysis of 434 OCT images from 109 different sites of 24 conization specimens showed a statistically significant increase in brightness and contrast for normal and dysplastic epithelium after application of DMSO or PEG. Further, the analysis of mean intensity profiles suggests the existence of an increased backscattering intensity after application of DMSO or PEG. DMSO and PEG contribute substantially to optical clearing in cervical squamous epithelium and therefore influence OCT imaging in a positive way. With further refinement of the OCT technology, the observed changes may be beneficial in interpreting the tissue microstructure and identifying cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can be used as an adjunct to colposcopy in the identification of precancerous and cancerous cervical lesions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of acetic acid on OCT imaging. OCT images were taken from unsuspicious and suspicious areas of fresh conization specimens immediately after resection and 3 and 10 min after application of 6 % acetic acid. A corresponding histology was obtained from all sites. The images taken 3 and 10 min after application of acetic acid were compared to the initial images with respect to changes in brightness, contrast, and scanning depth employing a standard nonparametric test of differences of proportions. Further, mean intensity backscattering curves were calculated from all OCT images in the histological groups CIN3, inflammation, or normal epithelium. Mean difference profiles within each of these groups were determined, reflecting the mean differences between the condition before application of acetic acid and the exposure times 3 and 10 min, respectively. According to the null hypothesis, the difference profiles do not differ from profiles fluctuating around zero in a stationary way, which implies that the profiles do not differ significantly from each other. The null hypothesis was tested employing the KPSS test. The visual analysis of 137 OCT images from 46 sites of 10 conization specimens revealed a statistically significant increase in brightness for all three groups and a statistically significant decrease in contrast for normal epithelium after 10 min. Further, an increase in scanning depth was noted for normal epithelium after 10 min and for CIN3 after 3 min. The analysis of mean intensity profiles showed an increased backscattering intensity after application of acetic acid. Acetic acid significantly affects the quality of OCT images. Overall brightness and scanning depth increase with the opposite effect regarding the image contrast. Whether the observed changes facilitate the distinction between dysplastic lesions in a clinical setting needs to be shown in further studies.

Background and Objective: The identification of parathyroid glands can be a major problem in parathyroid surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in distinguishing between parathyroid tissue, thyroid tissue, lymph nodes, and adipose tissue., Methods: Ex vivo OCT images as well as histological sections were generated from parathyroid glands, thyroid tissue, lymph nodes and fat in order to define significant morphologic differences between these entities. As a second step all OCT images were separately evaluated by two blinded investigators and later compared to the corresponding histology. Sensitivity and specificity of OCT in distinguishing between the different tissues were determined. To assess the interobserver agreement, κ coefficients were calculated from the ratings of each investigator for each OCT image seen., Results: A total of 320 OCT images from 32 patients undergoing thyroid surgery, parathyroidectomy or lymphadenectomy were compared with the corresponding histology. The sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing parathyroid tissue from the other entities was 84% (second investigator: 82%) and 94% (93%) respectively. Unweighted κ using four diagnostic categories was 0.97 (95% CI, 0.94-0.99) showing substantial agreement between both investigators., Conclusion: OCT is highly sensitive in distinguishing between parathyroid tissue, thyroid tissue, lymph nodes and adipose tissue. These ex vivo results should be confirmed by using OCT imaging intraoperatively., (© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: To establish and validate an ex vivo human cervical tissue model for optical coherence tomography (OCT) studies with special emphasis on investigating time dependent structural changes of the epithelium., Methods: Four hundred OCT images were taken from 80 unsuspicious and suspicious areas of 18 fresh conisation specimens immediately after resection (0 hour) and 1, 2, 3, and 4 hours, referred to as waiting times in the following, postoperatively and compared to the corresponding histology. For each 2D-OCT-image, a 1D-intensity profile was generated. The profiles were analyzed with respect to systematic differences which may result from different waiting times, employing discriminant analysis (DA)., Results: The different waiting times do not appear to imply significant differences among the corresponding OCT-images as represented by the intensity profiles., Conclusion: We conclude that the proposed cervical tissue model appears to be applicable for ex vivo OCT studies., (Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic efficacy of backscattering intensity measurements in optical coherence tomography in identifying different grades of cervical intraepithelial dysplasia., Study Design/materials and Methods: OCT images were taken from 153 unsuspicious and suspicious areas of 30 fresh conisation and hysterectomy specimens, evaluated by two blinded investigators using a six-grade classification (normal, inflammation, CIN1, CIN2, CIN3, squamous carcinoma) and later compared to the corresponding histology. Differences between judgments based on either the histology or the OCT images were investigated employing Correspondence Analysis (CA). Further, we explored the extent as to which backscattering intensity profiles of OCT images contained the essential information required for a reliable and valid diagnosis, using Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA)., Results: The CA of histology- and OCT-based judgments suggests that the diagnostic process may be characterized in terms of two stochastically independent underlying ("latent") variables, the first of them reflecting the definiteness with which CIN classes are identified, the second reflecting a bias towards diagnosing inflammation on the side of the OCT-based judgments. This finding is supported by the results of LDAs, where histology and OCT categorizations differ in particular with respect to the positions of inflammation and CIN1. Possibly, a second canonical variable has to be assumed accounting for the evaluation of carcinoma., Conclusions: The systematic differences between histology-based and OCT-based diagnoses suggest that the use of available information is influenced by perceptual and/or cognitive biases. Apart from this it seems that the profiles appear to provide a remarkably large amount of information determining the main course of the diagnostic process., (Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background and Objectives: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) permits high-resolution imaging of tissue subsurfaces up to 2 mm in depth. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of OCT in the characterization of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and to distinguish between different CIN grades., Study Design/materials and Methods: Colposcopy-guided OCT images were taken from unsuspicious and suspicious areas in women with suspected CIN. Each woman then underwent directed biopsies. All OCT images were separately evaluated by two blinded investigators and later compared to the corresponding histology based on a 6-grade classification (normal, inflammation, CIN 1, CIN 2, CIN 3, squamous carcinoma). Sensitivity and specificity of OCT in detecting CIN were determined. To assess the interobserver agreement, kappa coefficients were calculated from the ratings of each investigator for each OCT image seen., Results: A total of 210 OCT images were compared with the corresponding histology in 120 women undergoing colposcopy for suspected CIN. Sensitivity calculated for both investigators was 98% and 96% respectively with the threshold at CIN1 and 86% and 84% respectively with the threshold at CIN2. Thirty nine (38) false positive results reduced the specificity to 39% and 41% respectively with the threshold at CIN1. Defining the threshold at CIN2 the specificity increased to 64% and 60% respectively. Unweighted kappa from a dichotomous classification with the threshold at CIN1 was 0.69 (95% CI, 0.54-0.84) and 0.62 (95% CI, 0.51-0.73) with the threshold at CIN2., Conclusion: OCT is highly sensitive in identifying pre-invasive and invasive cancer of the uterine cervix. Improvements in resolution and the development of new light sources and optics may improve the specificity as well as the differentiation of cervical dysplasia. The interobserver agreement was substantial., (Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)