Design and implementation of a probe-based polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography system for middle ear microenvironment imaging
Markowicz, Adam Artur
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130055
Description
Title
Design and implementation of a probe-based polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography system for middle ear microenvironment imaging
Author(s)
Markowicz, Adam Artur
Issue Date
2025-07-18
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Middle ear pathologies, including chronic otitis media and cholesteatoma, are often associated with biofilms, which are highly resistant bacterial communities that disrupt tissue microenvironments. Traditional diagnostic tools such as otoscopy and tympanometry provide limited insight into sub-surface structures and lack the functional information needed to fully characterize disease progression. This thesis explores the use of polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) as a novel, non-invasive imaging technique to visualize and assess changes in the middle ear tissue microenvironment associated with biofilm-related disease. A fiber-based qualitative PS-OCT system was developed, enabling high-resolution reflectivity and birefringence imaging through a compact hand-held probe design. Initial imaging of ex vivo bone samples revealed measurable changes in birefringence after biofilm exposure, suggesting the potential of using PS-OCT to detect early structural degradation. Imaging of ex vivo mouse tissue and human cholesteatoma samples provided further insights into polarization properties of pathological ear tissue. A human tympanic membrane was also imaged in vivo, demonstrating the feasibility of clinical applications. Although qualitative in nature, the PS-OCT system developed in this research demonstrated sensitivity to tissue structural changes at the microenvironment level, laying the groundwork for future quantitative implementations. Overall, this work supports the potential of PS-OCT to enhance the diagnosis and understanding of middle ear diseases by capturing functional and sub-resolution tissue changes that are undetectable with conventional imaging techniques.
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