Imaging of non tumorous and tumorous human brain tissue with full-field optical coherence tomography

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that full-field optical coherence tomography (FF-OCT) can rapidly, non-invasively, and label-free image human brain tissues, including tumors and epileptic tissue, in a clinical intra-operative setting with high resolution.

Contribution

It is the first to evaluate FF-OCT for real-time, intra-operative brain tissue imaging, showing its potential for tumor margin assessment without contrast agents.

Findings

FF-OCT provides 3D imaging at 1μm resolution within 5 minutes.

Cortex and white matter can be distinguished, but individual glial cells cannot.

FF-OCT is feasible for intra-operative use in neurosurgery.

Abstract

A prospective study was performed on neurosurgical samples from 18 patients to evaluate the use of Full-Field Optical Coherence Tomography (FF-OCT) in brain tumor diagnosis. FF-OCT captures en face slices of tissue samples at 1\mum resolution in 3D with a typical 200\mum imaging depth. A 1cm2 specimen is scanned at a single depth and processed in about 5 minutes. This rapid imaging process is non-invasive and 30 requires neither contrast agent injection nor tissue preparation, which makes it particularly well suited to medical imaging applications. Temporal chronic epileptic parenchyma and brain tumors such as meningiomas, low- grade and high-grade gliomas, and choroid plexus papilloma were imaged. A subpopulation of neurons, myelin fibers and CNS vasculature were clearly identified. Cortex could be discriminated from white matter, but individual glial cells as astrocytes (normal or reactive) or oligodendrocytes were not observable. This study reports for the first time on the feasibility of using FF-OCT in a real-time manner as a label-free non-invasive imaging technique in an intra-operative neurosurgical clinical setting to assess tumorous glial and epileptic margins.