In vivo imaging of murine ischemia and reperfusion models using multi-functional optical coherence tomography

Abstract

Ischemic diseases such as myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction are caused by the restriction in blood supply to tissues and can be treated by early reperfusion. However, reperfusion injury is observed even though the reperfusion is performed to restore blood flow if the ischemia is maintained for a certain period. To analyze changes in blood flow and mechanical properties in tissues, optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used. OCT is an imaging technique using light interference which can provide the capability of non-invasive imaging over a wide field at high speed, thus OCT is widely used for biomedical and clinical applications. In this thesis, a multi-functional OCT system allowing the visualization of changes in blood flow and tissue mechanical properties was developed to study murine ischemia and reperfusion models. A new imaging protocol based on OCT imaging was proposed to measure the change of flow direction occurred during ischemia and reperfusion process.