Imaging of the human middle ear by endoscopic optical coherence tomography

In otology, many different diagnostic tools are available for examining middle ear pathologies and for imaging, e.g. otoscopy, tympanometry, CT and MRI. But none of these allows both, structural and functional diagnostics, at the same time. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive, high resolution interferometric imaging technique using near-infrared light to acquire cross-sections and three-dimensional images of the subsurface microstructure of tissues and tubular organs. In our project, an endoscopic OCT system is designed for imaging the tympanic membrane with reduced working distance and optimized field-of-view. Our current endoscopic OCT setup allows structural imaging and the measurement of the tympanic membrane oscillation and simultaneous video endoscopy. With this system, we intend to provide the attending physician a tool for diagnosing a broad number of diseases, e.g. otitis media, hearing loss, and for measuring the functionality of the tympanic membrane or transplants.