Grant: Proof of Principle Program - Phase I

Current microsurgical imaging techniques, routinely utilizing a surgical microscope or endoscope, can only provide surface imaging information without depth penetration. In the field of neurosurgery, technical advances in the past decade have resulted in a growing market of so-called "neuro-navigation", or imaging guided surgery, by co-registration of intra-operative markers with cross-sectional imaging obtained pre-operatively. Key deficiencies of neuro-navigation include (i) poor spatial resolution, in the range of one to a few millimeters; and (ii) no real-time imaging of the patient's anatomy, which is constantly changing during surgery. Therefore current techniques cannot take into account intra-operative anatomical shifts, which are common in brain surgery. Therefore, clinical intra-operative ultrasound systems cannot provide reliable spatial resolutions better than 0.5 mm, with a size or form-factor compatible with surgical microscope or endoscope. Recent advances in optical coherence tomography (OCT), an optical analogue of ultrasound, has provided an alternative imaging technique suitable for development into an in-vivo intra-operative tool, with spatial resolutions approaching histology. Based on our previous efforts in the design and clinical demonstration of endoscopic and intravascular Doppler OCT systems and probes, we have developed compact and low cost optical scanning mechanisms suitable for adaptation to the neurosurgical application. Specifically, our electrostatic scanning mechanism using dissipative polymer provides forward imaging capability, which is ideal for an intra-operative probe. This research will provide neurosurgeons with a state of the art intraoperative OCT imaging device, providing images never seen before in the operating room to better define the lesions' microanatomy, which may be used for real-time treatment guidance.