Lymphography method based on time-autocorrelated optical coherence tomography

Abstract

Lymphatic vessels are structurally similar to blood vessels, and the lymphatic fluid flowing within the lymphatic vessels is distributed throughout the body and plays a vital role in the human immune system. Visualization of the lymphatic vessels is clinically important in the diagnosis of tumor cell metastasis and related immune system diseases, but lymph is difficult to image due to its near-transparent nature and low flow rate. In this paper, we present a lymphography method based on time-autocorrelated optical coherence tomography. By using the minimum value difference of the autocorrelation function of the time-varying interference intensity between the lymph and the surrounding tissues, the non-invasive and high-sensitivity imaging of lymph vessels can be achieved. The method proposed in this paper has potential significance for the research and treatment of immune system diseases.