Motion-compensated optical coherence tomography system

1. A motion-compensated optical coherence tomography system, comprising:

an optical coherence tomography sensor comprising a common-path optical fiber having an end for emitting light, reflecting reference light and receiving returned light for detection;

a motion-compensation system attached to said common-path optical fiber and operable to move at least a portion of said optical fiber so as to compensate for motion between said end of said common-path optical fiber and an object being imaged;

a feedback control system configured to communicate with said optical coherence tomography sensor and said motion-compensation system; and

a data processing system in communication with said optical coherence tomography sensor;

wherein said feedback control system is configured to receive information concerning a measured distance of said end of said common-path optical fiber from said object and provide instructions to said motion-compensation system to decrease an amount of deviation of said measured distance from a desired distance,

wherein said motion-compensated optical coherence tomography system is configured to provide a two-dimensional image from said return light through said common-path optical fiber,

wherein said data processing system is configured to process detection signals from said optical coherence tomography sensor and generate said image,

wherein said motion-compensation system removes a surface topology of said object in said two-dimensional image, and

wherein said data processing system is configured to restore said surface topology of said object in said two-dimensional image.

2. A motion-compensated optical coherence tomography system according to claim 1 , wherein said motion-compensation system comprises an inner needle and an outer needle, said inner needle being slideably disposed within said outer needle, and

wherein said common-path optical fiber is disposed within said inner needle with said end of said common-path optical fiber being recessed within said inner needle to avoid contact with said object being imaged.

3. A motion-compensated optical coherence tomography system according to claim 2 , wherein said motion-compensation system comprises a motor adapted to move said inner needle in an axial direction relative to said outer needle to thereby change a distance of said end of said common-path optical fiber from said object being imaged in response to said feedback control system.

4. A motion-compensated optical coherence tomography system according to claim 3 , further comprising a hand piece housing at least a portion of said common-path optical fiber and said motor, and attached to or integral with said outer needle, such that said motion-compensated optical coherence tomography system is a free-hand scanning motion-compensated optical coherence tomography system.

5. A motion-compensated optical coherence tomography system according to claim 1 , wherein said data processing system is configured to restore said surface topology by performing a topological correction of said detection signals.

6. A motion-compensated optical coherence tomography system according to claim 5 , wherein said topological correction of said detection signals comprises maximizing a cross correlation between adjacent A-lines of an M-scan image to select a relative axial shift between said adjacent A-lines.

7. A motion-compensated optical coherence tomography system according to claim 4 , wherein said data processing system is configured to restore said surface topology by performing a topological correction of said detection signals.

8. A motion-compensated optical coherence tomography system according to claim 7 , wherein said topological correction of said detection signals comprises maximizing a cross correlation between adjacent A-lines of an M-scan image to select a relative axial shift between said adjacent A-lines.

9. A motion-compensated optical coherence tomography system according to claim 4 , wherein said motor is a piezoelectric motor, and wherein said feedback control system is configured to control speed u m of said piezoelectric motor to reduce error e=D-do between measured distance D and desired distance do according to the formula

u

m

=

K

P

⁢

e

+

K

I

⁢

∫

e

+

K

D

⁢

ⅆ

ⅆ

t

⁢

e

where K P , K I and K D are proportional, integral and derivative gain coefficients, respectively.

10. A motion-compensated optical coherence tomography system according to claim 9 , wherein said proportional, integral and derivative gain coefficients K P , K I and K D are empirically optimized.

11. A motion-compensated optical coherence tomography system according to claim 8 , wherein said motor is a piezoelectric motor, and

wherein said feedback control system is configured to control speed u m of said piezoelectric motor to reduce error e=D−d 0 between measured distance D and desired distance do according to the formula

u

m

=

K

P

⁢

e

+

K

I

⁢

∫

e

+

K

D

⁢

ⅆ

ⅆ

t

⁢

e

 where K P , K I and K D are proportional, integral and derivative gain coefficients, respectively.

12. A motion-compensated optical coherence tomography system according to claim 11 , wherein said proportional, integral and derivative gain coefficients K P , K I and K D are empirically optimized.

13. A motion-compensated optical coherence tomography system according to claim 1 , wherein said optical coherence tomography sensor is a Fourier domain, common-path optical coherence tomography sensor.

14. A motion-compensated optical coherence tomography system according to claim 12 , wherein said optical coherence tomography sensor is a Fourier domain, common-path optical coherence tomography sensor.