Imaging the microscale mechanical properties of tissue
The onset and progression of disease is often accompanied by changes in the mechanical properties of tissue. Elastography is an imaging technique that uses contrast in the mechanical properties of tissue to form images and can aid our understanding, detection, and diagnosis of disease. To probe tissue mechanics on the microscale, we are developing elastography techniques based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) [1, 2], including optical coherence micro-elastography for measuring tissue strain with micro-strain sensitivity, and optical palpation for visualizing tactile information.
Optical coherence micro-elastography
We have developed optical coherence micro-elastography (OCME), utilizing OCT to map micro-scale sample deformation in response to mechanical loading and forming images, elastograms, of tissue mechanical properties.
Using phase-sensitive OCT, we measure, with nanometer-scale sensitivity, tissue’s axial displacement and from it calculate relative tissue stiffness (local strain) over an axial depth range (50-100 micrometers), defining axial resolution. Transverse resolution matches that of OCT – 11 micrometers in our case.
Download video: 3D micro-elastogram of a silicone phantom containing a stiff, star-shaped inclusion. The inclusion undergoes less strain than the surrounding soft silicone.
We have used OCME to reveal mechanical heterogeneity of human breast cancer tissues on the micro-scale [3]. The mechanical contrast provided by OCME, combined with the structural information afforded by OCT, could help highlight tumor boundaries during surgery and reduce the number of unnecessary and traumatizing surgeries. The image below shows an OCT image and micro-elastogram, compared to corresponding histology, of surgically excised tissue from a breast cancer patient.
Optical palpation: OCT-based tactile imaging
Elastography relies on tracking tissue deformation to extract mechanical properties. But what if we could measure the tactile sensation experienced by a clinician’s fingertips during palpation? We have developed the first OCT-based tactile imaging technique, termed optical palpation. We use a stress sensor consisting of compliant, silicone rubber that is placed on the tissue surface. We use OCT to measure the local strain (percent change in thickness) of the sensor under a compressive load. We have characterized the stress-strain response of the sensor material and can relate the measured strain to the corresponding stress. The resulting optical palpation image is a projection of the stress on the sample, similar to the stress felt by the fingertips during palpation.
Optical palpation has potential for delineating regions of tumor in human breast tissues. The figure below shows an optical palpation image and corresponding histology of a tumor boundary in human breast cancer tissue. The regions of high and low stress in the optical palpation image correspond to regions of invasive tumor on the left and normal fatty tissue on the right, as confirmed by the histology.
Optical elastography quick links
Key applications
- Guidance of breast cancer surgery
- Detection of muscle damage in mouse models of muscular dystroph
- Imaging mechanical contrast of skin lesions
Key researchers
- Prof. Brendan Kennedy
- Kelsey Kennedy
- Philip Wijesinghe
- Lixin Chin
- Shaghayegh Es’haghian
- Andrea Curatolo
Key publications
- B.F. Kennedy, K.M. Kennedy, and D.D. Sampson “A review of optical coherence elastography: fundamentals, techniques and prospects,” IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. 20, 7101217 (2014).
- B.F. Kennedy, L. Chin, K.M. Kennedy, P. Wijesinghe, A. Curatolo, S. Es’haghian, P.R.T. Munro, R.A. McLaughlin, and D.D. Sampson, “Optical elastography: a new window into disease,” Optics & Photonics News, in press.
- B.F. Kennedy, R.A. McLaughlin, K.M. Kennedy, L. Chin, A. Curatolo, A. Tien, B. Latham, C.M. Saunders, and D.D. Sampson, “Optical coherence micro-elastography: mechanical-contrast imaging of tissue microstructure,” Biomed. Opt. Express 5, 2113 (2014).