Methods, Systems and Computer Program Products for Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Using Automatic Dispersion Compensation

Abstract

Methods, systems and computer program products for generating parameters for software dispersion compensation in optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems are provided. Raw spectral interferogram data is acquired for a given lateral position on a sample and a given reference reflection. A trial spectral phase corresponding to each wavenumber sample of the acquired spectral interferogram data is postulated. The acquired raw spectral data and the postulated trial spectral phase data are assembled into trial complex spectrum data. Trial A-scan data is computed by performing an inverse Fourier transform on the trial complex spectrum data and determining the magnitude of a result.

1 . A method for generating parameters for software dispersion compensation in optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems, comprising:
 acquiring raw real-valued spectral interferogram data for a given lateral position on a sample and a given reference reflection;   postulating a trial spectral phase corresponding to each wavenumber sample of the acquired real-valued spectral interferogram data;   assembling the acquired raw spectral data and the postulated trial spectral phase data into trial complex spectrum data;   computing trial A-scan data by performing an inverse Fourier transform (I.F.T.) on the trial complex spectrum data;   repeating the postulating, assembling and computing steps to optimize a quality metric applied to the trial A-scan data, wherein the image quality metric is applied to a range of values of depth for which the result is desired to be independent of depth.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 :
 wherein the raw real-valued spectral interferogram data is denoted M(k); and   wherein postulating comprises postulating a trial phase corresponding to each wavenumber sample of M(k) according to the following equation:
   φ( k )= a ( k−k   0 )+ b ( k−k   0 ) 2   +c ( k−k   0 ) 3   +d ) k−k   0 ) 4 , 
   
     wherein k 0  is the central wavenumber of a light source of the OCT system, wherein k is a sample wavenumber, and wherein a, b, c and d are parameters to be optimized and represent respective first, second, third, and fourth-order corrections to be made to a phase of the acquired raw spectral interferogram data. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein assembling comprises assembling the acquired raw real-valued spectral interferogram data and the trial spectral phase data into the trial complex spectrum data according to the following equation:
     S ( k )= M ( k ) e   iφ(k) ,   
     wherein e is the base of natural logarithms and i is the square root of −1. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein computing comprises computing trial A-scan data by performing an inverse Fourier transform (I.F.T.) on the trial complex spectrum data and determining the magnitude of the result according to the following equation:
   | s ( z )|=| I.F.T.{S ( k )}|,   
     wherein the result |s(z)| is the real-valued trial A-scan representing the depth-resolved reflectivity of the sample at a given lateral location, blurred by dispersion mismatch between interferometer arms but corrected by the postulated trial spectral phase. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising repeating the postulating, assembling and computing steps to optimize the values of a, b, c and d based on optimization of an image quality metric applied to the trial A-scan data |s(z)|. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the image quality metric is applied to |s(z)| for a range of values of depth z for which the result is desired to be independent of depth z and wherein the result |s(z)| is the real-valued trial A-scan representing the depth-resolved reflectivity of the sample at a given lateral location. 
   
   
       7 . An optical coherence tomography (OCT) system, comprising:
 an imaging system with automatic parameter optimization, the imaging system being configured to:
 acquire raw real-valued spectral interferogram data for a given lateral position on a sample and a given reference reflection; 
 postulate a trial spectral phase corresponding to each wavenumber sample of the acquired real-valued spectral interferogram data; 
 assemble the acquired raw spectral data and the postulated trial spectral phase data into trial complex spectrum data; 
 compute trial A-scan data by performing an inverse Fourier transform (I.F.T.) on the trial complex spectrum data; and 
 repeat the postulating, assembling and computing steps to optimize a quality metric applied to the trial A-scan data, wherein the image quality metric is applied to a range of values of depth for which the result is desired to be independent of depth 
   
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the raw real-valued spectral interferogram data is denoted M(k), the imaging system being further configured to postulate a trial phase corresponding to each wavenumber sample of M(k) according to the following equation:
   φ( k )= a ( k−k   0 )+ b ( k−k   0 ) 2   +c ( k−k   0 ) 3   +d (k−k 0 ) 4 ,   
     wherein k 0  is the central wavenumber of a light source of the OCT system, wherein k is a sample wavenumber, and wherein a, b, c and d are parameters to be optimized and represent respective first, second, third, and fourth-order corrections to be made to a phase of the acquired raw spectral interferogram data. 
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the imaging system is further configured to assemble the acquired raw real-valued spectral interferogram data and the trial spectral phase data into the trial complex spectrum data according to the following equation:
     S ( k )= M ( k ) e   iφ(k) ,   
     wherein e is the base of natural logarithms and i is the square root of −1. 
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the imaging system is further configured to compute trial A-scan data by performing an inverse Fourier transform (I.F.T.) on the trial complex spectrum data and determining the magnitude of the result according to the following equation:
   | s ( z )|=| I.F.T.{S ( k )}|,   
     wherein the result |s(z)| is the real-valued trial A-scan representing the depth-resolved reflectivity of the sample at a given lateral location, blurred by dispersion mismatch between interferometer arms but corrected by the postulated trial spectral phase. 
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the imaging system is configured to repeatedly postulate, assemble and compute steps to optimize the values of a, b, c and d based on optimization of an image quality metric applied to the trial A-scan data |s(z)|. 
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the image quality metric is applied to |s(z)| for a range of values of depth z for which the result is desired to be independent of depth z and wherein the result |s(z)| is the real-valued trial A-scan representing the depth-resolved reflectivity of the sample at a given lateral location. 
   
   
       13 . A computer program product for generating parameters for software dispersion compensation in optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems, the computer program product comprising:
 computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer readable program code comprising:   computer readable program code configured to acquire raw real-valued spectral interferogram data for a given lateral position on a sample and a given reference reflection;   computer readable program code configured to postulate a trial spectral phase corresponding to each wavenumber sample of the acquired real-valued spectral interferogram data;   computer readable program code configured to assemble the acquired raw spectral data and the postulated trial spectral phase data into trial complex spectrum data; computer readable program code configured to compute trial A-scan data by performing an inverse Fourier transform (I.F.T.) on the trial complex spectrum data; and   computer readable program code configured to repeat the postulating, assembling and computing steps to optimize a quality metric applied to the trial A-scan data, wherein the image quality metric is applied to a range of values of depth for which the result is desired to be independent of depth   
   
   
       14 . The computer program product of  claim 13 , wherein the raw real-valued spectral interferogram data is denoted M(k), the computer program product further comprising computer readable program code configured to postulate a trial phase corresponding to each wavenumber sample of M(k) according to the following equation:
   φ( k )= a ( k−k   0 )+ b ( k−k   0 ) 2   +c ( k−k   0 ) 3   +d ( k−k   0 ) 4 ,   
     wherein k 0  is the central wavenumber of a light source of the OCT system, wherein k is a sample wavenumber, and wherein a, b, c and d are parameters to be optimized and represent respective first, second, third, and fourth-order corrections to be made to a phase of the acquired raw spectral interferogram data. 
   
   
       15 . The computer program product of  claim 14 , further comprising computer readable program code configured to assemble the acquired raw real-valued spectral interferogram data and the trial spectral phase data into the trial complex spectrum data according to the following equation:
     S ( k )= M ( k ) e   iφ(k) ,   
     wherein e is the base of natural logarithms and i is the square root of −1. 
   
   
       16 . The computer program product of  claim 15 , further comprising computer readable program code configured to compute trial A-scan data by performing an inverse Fourier transform (I.F.T.) on the trial complex spectrum data and determining the magnitude of the result according to the following equation:
   | s ( z )|=| I.F.T.{S ( k )}|,   
     wherein the result |s(z)| is the real-valued trial A-scan representing the depth-resolved reflectivity of the sample at a given lateral location, blurred by dispersion mismatch between interferometer arms but corrected by the postulated trial spectral phase. 
   
   
       17 . The computer program product of  claim 16 , further comprising computer readable program code configured to repeat the postulating, assembling and computing steps to optimize the values of a, b, c and d based on optimization of an image quality metric applied to the trial A-scan data |s(z)|. 
   
   
       18 . The computer program product of  claim 17 , wherein the image quality metric is applied to |s(z)| for a range of values of depth z for which the result is desired to be independent of depth z and wherein the result |s(z)| is the real-valued trial A-scan representing the depth-resolved reflectivity of the sample at a given lateral location.