Ultrafast optical coherence elastography for volumetric and dynamic in vivo imaging

Abstract

Imaging the mechanical properties of biological tissues in vivo with high spatial and temporal resolution is essential for understanding physiological function and disease progression. Optical coherence elastography (OCE) provides label-free, micrometer-scale mapping of tissue biomechanics, but its application to dynamic and volumetric measurements has been limited by slow acquisition speeds and susceptibility to motion artifacts. Here we introduce ultrafast optical coherence elastography (ultrafast OCE), a general framework for real-time volumetric biomechanical imaging in vivo. By combining synchronized multi-phase acquisition with a demodulation strategy intrinsically robust to spectral aliasing, ultrafast OCE decouples mechanical excitation from acquisition speed, enabling reconstruction of full wave fields from only three sequential B-mode images. The method achieves frame rates up to two orders of magnitude higher than conventional approaches while preserving high sensitivity over frequencies ranging from the acoustic to ultrasonic regimes. We further develop a motion-correction strategy that compensates for bulk tissue motion under physiological conditions. We validate ultrafast OCE in dynamically stretched phantoms and pulsatile arteries and demonstrate sub-second volumetric imaging of the cornea and skin in vivo. Ultrafast OCE enables real-time interrogation of tissue biomechanics across space and time, opening new opportunities for mechanobiology, cardiovascular research, and clinical diagnostics.