Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography and Attenuation Imaging for Label-Free Observation of Functional Changes in the Intestine after Sympathectomy: A Pilot Study
Lev Matveev,
Elena Kiseleva,
Mikhail Baleev,
Alexander Moiseev,
Maxim Ryabkov,
Arseniy Potapov,
Evgeniya Bederina,
Marina Sirotkina,
Vladislav Shalin,
Igor Smirnov,
Natalia Gladkova,
Vladimir Zaitsev
Affiliations
Lev Matveev
Institute of Applied Physics of the RAS, 46 Ulyanova St., 603950 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Elena Kiseleva
Institute of Experimental Oncology and Biomedical Technologies, Privolzhsky Research Medical University, 10/1 Minin and Pozharsky Sq., 603950 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Mikhail Baleev
City Clinical Hospital No. 30, 85A Berezovskaya St., 605157 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Alexander Moiseev
Institute of Applied Physics of the RAS, 46 Ulyanova St., 603950 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Maxim Ryabkov
University Clinic, Privolzhsky Research Medical University, 18/1 Verkhnevolzhskaya Naberezhnaja, 603155 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Arseniy Potapov
Institute of Experimental Oncology and Biomedical Technologies, Privolzhsky Research Medical University, 10/1 Minin and Pozharsky Sq., 603950 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Evgeniya Bederina
University Clinic, Privolzhsky Research Medical University, 18/1 Verkhnevolzhskaya Naberezhnaja, 603155 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Marina Sirotkina
Institute of Experimental Oncology and Biomedical Technologies, Privolzhsky Research Medical University, 10/1 Minin and Pozharsky Sq., 603950 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Vladislav Shalin
National Research, Ogarev Mordovia State University, 68 Bolshevistskaya Str., 430005 Saransk, Russia
Igor Smirnov
City Clinical Hospital No. 39, 144 Moscovskoye Shosse, 603028 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Natalia Gladkova
Institute of Experimental Oncology and Biomedical Technologies, Privolzhsky Research Medical University, 10/1 Minin and Pozharsky Sq., 603950 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Vladimir Zaitsev
Institute of Applied Physics of the RAS, 46 Ulyanova St., 603950 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
We present in this study optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and OCT attenuation imaging (OCTAI) for in vivo non-destructive visualization of intramural blood and lymphatic vessels of the intestine wall. Rabbit small intestine in the norm and after thoracolumbar sympathectomy served as the object of the intraoperative study. Compared to OCTA real-time imaging, OCTAI takes several minutes and can be termed as “nearly real time”. OCTAI signal processing was modified to take into account the signal-to-noise ratio and the final thickness of the intestine wall. The results showed that, after sympathectomy, changes in functioning of intramural blood and lymphatic vessels were observed with a high statistical significance. The occurrence of trauma-induced constriction of the blood and lymphatic vessels led to an especially pronounced decrease in the length of small-caliber (p −5), as well as in the volumetric density of lymphatic vessels (on average by ~50%) compared to their initial state. Remarkably, OCTA/OCTAI modalities provide the unique ability for “nearly-instant detection” of changes in functional status of the tissues, long before they become visible on histology. The proposed approach can be used in further experiments to clarify the mechanisms of changes in intestinal blood and lymph flows in response to trauma of the nervous system. Furthermore, potentially it can be used intraoperatively in patients requiring express diagnosis of the state of intramural blood and lymph circulation.
