Ultrahigh-speed intravascular optical coherence tomography imaging at 3200 frames per second

We demonstrated intravascular OCT imaging with frame rate up to 3.2 kHz (192,000 rpm scanning). This was achieved by using a custom-built catheter in which the circumferential scanning was actuated by a 1.0 mm diameter synchronous motor. The OCT system was based on a Fourier Domain Mode Locked laser operating at an A-line rate of 1.6 MHz. The diameter of the catheter was 1.1 mm at the tip. Ex vivo images of human coronary artery (~78.4 mm length) were acquired at a pullback speed of 100 mm/s. True 3D volumetric imaging of the entire artery, with adequate sampling in all dimensions, was performed in < 1 second acquisition time.