Three-dimensional reconstruction of blood vessels from in vivo color Doppler optical coherence tomography images

Purpose: Current laser treatment for vascular disorders such as port wine stains can have incomplete or unacceptable results. A customized treatment strategy based on knowledge of the patient's blood vessel structure may effect an improved clinical outcome. Procedure: We tested the feasibility of using color Doppler optical coherence tomography (OCT) and image processing techniques to locate, measure and reconstruct cutaneous blood vessels in rat and hamster skin. OCT is a recent, potentially noninvasive technique for imaging subsurface tissue structures with micrometer scale resolution. Results: Blood vessels were identified in a series of cross-sectional images, then a three-dimensional reconstruction was made. Parameters that can affect optimum laser treatment parameters, such as average blood vessel depth and luminal diameter, were found from the images. Conclusion: This study shows that color Doppler OCT is a potential tool for improving laser treatment of vascular disorders.