Using optical coherence tomography (OCT) for quantitative measurement of attenuation coefficients of the arterial wall

The feasibility to detect and characterize vulnerable plaques by Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is currently under investigation. It has been shown that in some cases, by using qualitative criteria, the OCT images can be used to differentiate between different types of plaque. However, the quality of the image and the experience of the observer greatly influences the interpretation of the images, which indicates the necessity of a quantitative analysis of the OCT data. As OCT measures the depth resolved backscattering it is possible to calculate the light attenuation coefficient (μt) in the different areas in the image and use that to identify the different plaque constituents in the target tissue. In this study, we present in vitro data on μt, measured in atherosclerotic lesions.