Optical coherence tomography: High-resolution imaging in nontransparent tissue

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a method of high-resolution imaging originally developed for the transparent tissue of the eye. Recently, the technology has been advanced toward the difficult challenge of imaging in nontransparent tissue. In this paper, three topics are addressed. First, the principles behind OCT imaging are discussed. Second, the difficulties associated with OCT imaging in nontransparent tissue are outlined. Finally, the feasibility of OCT for medical imaging will be discussed. Specifically, OCT demonstrates its greatest potential in situations where conventional biopsy is either dangerous or ineffective.