Wide-field optical coherence tomography for microstructural analysis of key tissue types: a proof-of-concept evaluation

Introduction: The presence of positive margins following tumor resection is a frequent cause of re-excision surgery. Nondestructive, real-time intraoperative histopathological imaging methods may improve margin status assessment at the time of surgery; optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been identified as a potential solution but has not been tested with the most common tissue types in surgical oncology using a single, standardized platform. Methods: This was a proof-of-concept evaluation of a novel device that employs wide-field OCT (WF-OCT; OTIS 2.0 System) to image tissue specimens. Various cadaveric tissues were obtained from a single autopsy and were imaged with WF-OCT then processed for permanent histology. The quality and resolution of the WF-OCT images were evaluated and compared to histology and with images in previous literature. Results: A total of 30 specimens were collected and tissue-specific microarchitecture consistent with previous literature were identified on both WF-OCT images and histology slides for all specimens, and corresponding sections were correlated. Application of vacuum pressure during scanning did not affect specimen integrity. On average, specimens were scanned at a speed of 10.3 s/cm(2) with approximately three features observed per tissue type. Conclusion: The WF-OCT images captured in this study displayed the key features of the most common human tissue types encountered in surgical oncology with utility comparable to histology, confirming the utility of an FDA-cleared imaging platform. With further study, WF-OCT may have the potential to bridge the gap between the immediate information needs of the operating room and the longer timeline inherent to histology workflow.