Yizheng Zhu, Neil G Terry, Adam Wax
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
DOI: 10.4103/1477-3163.83935
ABSTRACT
This review covers the development of angle-resolved low coherence interferometry (a/LCI) from initial development through clinical application. In the first applications, the approach used a time-domain interferometry scheme and was validated using animal models of carcinogenesis to assess the feasibility of detecting dysplasia in situ. Further development of the approach led to Fourier-domain interferometry schemes with higher throughput and endoscope-compatible probes to enable clinical application. These later implementations have been applied to clinical studies of dysplasia in Barrett’s esophagus tissues, a metaplastic tissue type that is associated with an increased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. As an alternative to systematic biopsy, the a/LCI approach offers high sensitivity and specificity for detecting dysplasia in these tissues while avoiding the need for tissue removal or exogenous contrast agents. Here, the various implementations of a/LCI are discussed and the results of the preliminary animal experiments and ex vivo human tissue studies are reviewed. A review of a recent in vivo clinical study is also presented.
Keywords: Barrett′s esophagus, cell morphology, endoscopy, optical techniques.