Visualization of carious lesions with polarized and depolarized light microscopy.

Polarized light microscopy (PLM) is an established method in dental histology for investigating the ultrastructure and carious process of teeth. This study introduces a novel approach for measuring the degree of polarization (DOP) in a modified PLM setup and uses the DOP to assess the changes of the optical properties of enamel and dentin due to caries. The validation is provided by a comparison with complementary imaging methods, i.e. standard PLM and µCT. The results show that demineralization is reliably displayed by the DOP in accordance with the common imaging methods, and that this quantitative analysis of depolarization allows the characterization of the different pathohistological zones of caries.

The Dresden in vivo OCT dataset for automatic middle ear segmentation.

Endoscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT) offers a non-invasive approach to perform the morphological and functional assessment of the middle ear in vivo. However, interpreting such OCT images is challenging and time-consuming due to the shadowing of preceding structures. Deep neural networks have emerged as a promising tool to enhance this process in multiple aspects, including segmentation, classification, and registration. Nevertheless, the scarcity of annotated datasets of OCT middle ear images poses a significant hurdle to the performance of neural networks. We introduce the Dresden in vivo OCT Dataset of the Middle Ear (DIOME) featuring 43 OCT volumes from both healthy and pathological middle ears of 29 subjects. DIOME provides semantic segmentations of five crucial anatomical structures (tympanic membrane, malleus, incus, stapes and promontory), and sparse landmarks delineating the salient features of the structures. The availability of these data facilitates the training and evaluation of algorithms regarding various analysis tasks with middle ear OCT images, e.g. diagnostics.

In Vivo Thickness of the Healthy Tympanic Membrane Determined by Optical Coherence Tomography.

OBJECTIVE: Tympanic membrane (TM) thickness is an important parameter for differentiation between a healthy and a pathologic TM. Furthermore, it is needed for modeling the middle ear function. Endoscopic optical coherence tomography (eOCT) provides the opportunity to measure the TM thickness of the entire TM in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 27 healthy ears were examined by eOCT. The system uses a light source with a central wavelength of 1,300 nm. The endoscope with an outer diameter of 3.5 mm provides a field of view of 10 mm and a working distance of 10 mm. Thickness measurements were carried out at 8 points on the TM. Additionally, the existing literature was analyzed, and a mean TM thickness value was determined. RESULTS: The mean thickness of the TM over all measurement points of the pars tensa was 120.2 µm, and the pars flaccida was significantly thicker with a mean thickness of 177.9 µm. Beyond that, there were no significant differences between the single quadrants. The mean TM thickness in the literature was 88.8 µm. DISCUSSION: EOCT provides the possibility for in vivo thickness determination of the TM. The mean thickness seems to be higher than in the previous studies, which were mostly carried out ex vivo. Our study takes the three-dimensional refraction into account and provides a method for the refraction correction.

In vivo microstructural investigation of the human tympanic membrane by endoscopic polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography.

Significance: Endoscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT) is of growing interest for in vivo diagnostics of the tympanic membrane (TM) and the middle ear but generally lacks a tissue-specific contrast. Aim: To assess the collagen fiber layer within the in vivo TM, an endoscopic imaging method utilizing the polarization changes induced by the birefringent connective tissue was developed. Approach: An endoscopic swept-source OCT setup was redesigned and extended by a polarization-diverse balanced detection unit. Polarization-sensitive OCT (PS-OCT) data were visualized by a differential Stokes-based processing and the derived local retardation. The left and right ears of a healthy volunteer were examined. Results: Distinct retardation signals in the annulus region of the TM and near the umbo revealed the layered structure of the TM. Due to the TM's conical shape and orientation in the ear canal, high incident angles onto the TM's surface, and low thicknesses compared to the axial resolution limit of the system, other regions of the TM were more difficult to evaluate. Conclusions: The use of endoscopic PS-OCT is feasible to differentiate birefringent and nonbirefringent tissue of the human TM in vivo. Further investigations on healthy as well as pathologically altered TMs are required to validate the diagnostic potential of this technique.