Real-time measurement of in-vitro and in-vivo blood flow with Fourier domain optical coherence tomography

We realized an in vivo Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FD OCT) setup that allows acquiring retinal depth scans at a rate of 25.000 per second. We demonstrate the possibility to measure Doppler flow depth profile in specific regions of interest. The method to extract the flow profiles is based on a local phase analysis of the backscattered signal and allows for bidirectional Doppler flow imaging. The velocity resolution in tissue is 200μm/s. We verified the method by measuring pump controlled in vitro flow through a glass capillary. The system allows for a real-time colour encoded Doppler tomogram rate of 2-4 per second. We recorded the pulsatility of different vessels close to optic nerve head.