Estimation of elastic parameters of ovarian tissue using phase stabilized swept source optical-coherence tomography

We have estimated the micro-mechanical properties of ovarian tissue using phase-sensitive swept source optical coherence tomography. Ovary samples were mechanically excited by periodical vibration of an ultrasound transducer. The displacement and strain of the tissues were calculated during loading. Significant difference in strain was observed between the normal and malignant ovary groups, which indicates much softer and heterogeneous tissue structure for malignant ovaries. The initial results show that the phase sensitive swept source optical coherence elastography (OCE) can be an effective tool for characterization of stiffness and other micro-mechanical properties of normal and malignant ovarian tissue.