Prof. YaoChun Shen
The University of Liverpool, UK
Title: Recent advances in the development of high-speed and high-resolution optical coherence tomography
Abstract:
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) stands as a pivotal cross-sectional imaging technology in ophthalmology, enabling precise visualization of retinal structures. With over 30 million annual scans worldwide, OCT plays a crucial role in the early detection of debilitating retinal conditions such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. However, despite its widespread use, current OCT scanners face inherent limitations in imaging speed. This results in the acquisition of images from only a restricted portion of the retina, potentially leading to oversight of defects or diseases in the peripheral retina and subsequent misdiagnosis. Furthermore, the high-speed OCT technology is crucial for the emerging research field of OCT angiography and ultra-high-resolution OCT (UHR-OCT) particularly over large field-of-view.
In this keynote, we will first discuss different strategies to achieve high-speed acquisition of OCT image, namely swept-source OCT, multipixel OCT and line-field OCT. This will be followed by presenting advances made in my group where we demonstrated a measurement speed equivalent to 3x1010 A-scans per second using a single pulse of supercontinuum light source [1]. We will also present in vivo experimental results obtained on patients where an axial resolution of 2.1 μm has been achieved at an image speed of 2.1x105 A-scans per second, limited only by the data transfer rate of the camera used [2, 3]. Its potential industry applications will be also discussed [4, 5].
Fig.1 Example corneal image (bottom-right) obtained on patients using our UHR-OCT device (left). The top-right is the enlarged view of the bottom image.
References:
1. Lawman S, Dong Y, Williams BM, Romano V, Kaye S, Harding SP, Willoughby C, Shen YC, and Zheng Y, High resolution corneal and single pulse imaging with line field spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Opt Express, 2016. 24(11): p. 12395-405.
2. Lawman S, Mason S, Kaye SB, Shen YC, and Zheng Y, Accurate In Vivo Bowman's Thickness Measurement Using Mirau Ultrahigh Axial Resolution Line Field Optical Coherence Tomography. Transl Vis Sci Technol, 2022. 11(8): p. 6.
3. Lawman S, Mason S, Kaye S, Shen Y-C, and Zheng Y. LiveOCT: An ultrahigh axial resolution line-field spectral domain optical coherence tomography system. in Optical Tomography and Spectroscopy. 2022. Optica Publishing Group.
4. Zhang Z, Yang X, Zhao Z, Zeng F, Ye S, Baldock SJ, Lin H, Hardy JG, Zheng Y, and Shen Y, Rapid imaging and product screening with low-cost line-field Fourier domain optical coherence tomography. Sci Rep, 2023. 13(1): p. 10809.
5. Zhao Z, Zhang Z, Lawman S, Yin Z, Hu Y, Xu J, and Shen Y, Characterization of Electrical–Thermal–Mechanical Deformation of Bonding Wires Under Silicone Gel Using LF-OCT. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 2021. 36(10): p. 11045-11054.
Biography:
Professor Yaochun Shen received his PhD degree from Nanjing University in 1992. After that he held various positions at Southeast University (China), Heidelberg University (Germany), Heriot-Watt University (UK), Cambridge University (UK) and TeraView Ltd (UK). Currently he is a Chair Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, the University of Liverpool, UK. Prof Shen has over thirty years’ experience, spanning both academia and industry, in researching advanced three-dimensional imaging technology including terahertz (THz) imaging, optical coherence tomography (OCT), with a keen emphasis on its real-world industry and clinical applications. He has been awarded 8 patents and published 5 book chapters and over 260 conference & journal papers with over 9300 citations and an h-index of 50 (Google Scholar, 04/2024). Further details can be found at https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/electrical-engineering-and-electronics/staff/yaochun-shen/ .