Patent ID: 8630697
Filing Date: 2014-01-14
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. An optical coherence tomography (OCT) system for generating an image of tissue, said system comprising: a light source generating a beam of light having a polarization state; a sample arm, said sample arm including a scanner for scanning the beam over tissue; a reference arm; a polarization controller located in one of the sample and reference arms for varying the polarization state of the beam; a detection arm with a detector for receiving an interference signal from the sample arm and the reference arm and generating intensity image data, and wherein the beam is not passed through a polarizer in the detection arm; and a processor for controlling the polarization controller in a manner to vary the polarization state of the beam to collect interference signals at a variety of polarization states so that the interference signals have different average intensities, said processor for identifying the minimum interference signal collected, and for storing intensity image data acquired at the polarization state that produced the minimum interference signal.