Patent ID: 6549801
Filing Date: 2003-04-15
Classification: A61B,G01B,G01N

Abstract:
A method for phase-resolved optical tomography capable of simultaneously imaging fluid flow and morphology in a sample with fast scanning speed and high velocity sensitivity comprising:providing a source of at least partially coherent radiation through an interferometer, said at least partially coherent radiation characterized by a phase; phase modulating said radiation in said interferometer at a modulation frequency; scanning said sample with said source of at least partially coherent radiation through said interferometer in a sequence of pixel line scans, said sample having a fluid flow therein; changing said phase of said at least partially coherent radiation in response to said fluid flow at each pixel of each pixel line scan; detecting interference fringes of said radiation backscattered from said sample into said interferometer; processing said detected interference fringes to determine ODT phase signals of said detected backscattered interference fringes at each pixel of said pixel line scans to determine said corresponding phase at each pixel in a data window; comparing said phase between corresponding pixels in two line scans to generate a difference between said phase at said two corresponding pixels in two line scans whereby speckle is substantially reduced; and generating a tomographic image of the fluid flow in said sample from said phase difference at each pixel.