Characterization of elastic nonlinear properties of the tissues using compressional optical coherence elastography

Compressional optical coherence elastography (OCE) is the emerging tool to evaluate Young modulus of the tissue with resolution close to optical coherence tomography. Recent versions of compressional OCE based on the strain comparison within the tissue and the calibrated reference silicone layer (sensor) located between the OCT probe and tissue. For standard realizations of compressional OCE the evaluation of the strain within the tissue and the sensor performed only at one point of the stress-strain curve. In the same way the applied stress can be easily estimated in a wide range on the base on the stress-strain relation for calibrated sensor strain that allow to evaluate the stress-strain relation for the underlying tissue not in one point but in the wider range. In this report we demonstrate this approach to nonlinear parameter evaluation for wide range of the tissues. We demonstrate the application of this new tool to breast tissue, vaginal wall, bladder, brain, cartilages, coronary arteries walls in various states. The preliminary results shows that several states of the tissues such as vaginal wall state in case of pelvic organ prolapse, benign breast tumor and coronary arteries plague can be determined on the base of elastic nonlinear parameters.