In vivo optical coherence tomography imaging of the pancreatic and biliary ductal system.

BACKGROUND: In vivo optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging has not yet been applied to the pancreatic ductal system. The aim of this study was to obtain in vivo OCT images of dog pancreatic and biliary ducts, and to correlate the images with histology. METHODS: Images of dog pancreatic and biliary ducts were obtained by using an in vivo OCT probe introduced through the respective papillary orifices. Each duct was imaged in multiple locations, and the site of imaging was marked with injected India ink. After imaging, the dogs were euthanized, and the pancreaticobiliary system was harvested. Histologic cross sections were correlated with in vivo OCT images by measuring the structures seen on in vivo OCT images and correlating them with structures seen on corresponding histology slides that contained India ink. OBSERVATIONS: Eighteen pairs of in vivo OCT images and histology slides from the bile duct and the pancreatic duct were obtained from 5 dogs. The entire duct wall could be visualized. A low reflective in vivo OCT layer corresponding to the epithelium could be discerned on many images. The bile duct showed a more complex architecture and had greater variations within the reflective OCT layers, possibly because of greater cellularity within the lamina propria. Nuclei within cells could not be identified, and structures adjacent to the ducts could not be imaged. CONCLUSIONS: In vivo OCT is capable of imaging the pancreaticobiliary ductal system and of identifying the epithelial layer. Because of limited depth of imaging (320-845 micron), OCT is unlikely to serve the purpose of tumor staging.