Methods and systems for in vivo full-field interference microscopy imaging

1. A method for in vivo, full-field interference microscopy imaging of a scattering three-dimensional sample, comprising:

disposing the sample in an object arm of an interference device of a full-field OCT imaging system, wherein said interference device further comprises a reference arm with an optical lens and a first reflection surface;

producing, at each point of an imaging field, an interference between a reference wave obtained by reflection of incident light waves on an elementary surface of the first reflection surface corresponding to said point of the imaging field and an object wave obtained by backscattering of incident light waves by a voxel of a slice of the sample at a given depth, said voxel corresponding to said point of the imaging field,

acquiring, using an acquisition device of said full-field OCT imaging system, a temporal succession of two-dimensional interferometric signals resulting from the interferences produced at each point of the imaging field;

storing, for each two-dimensional interferometric signal, a time of acquisition;

providing, at each time of acquisition of the two-dimensional interferometric signals, cross-sectional images (X-Z) of both the sample and said first reflection surface of said full-field OCT imaging system using an OCT imaging system;

determining a plurality of en face images (X-Y) of a plurality of slices of the sample, each en face image being determined from at least two two-dimensional interferometric signals having a given phase shift;

determining from the cross-sectional images provided by the OCT imaging system at the times of acquisition of each of said two two-dimensional interferometric signals a depth (z) for each en face image (X-Y) of said plurality of slices; and

determining a 3D image of the sample from said plurality of en face images of said plurality of slices of the sample and depths, wherein:

determining each en face image of the plurality of en face images comprises selecting, in said temporal succession of two-dimensional interferometric signals acquired by the acquisition device, at least two two-dimensional interferometric signals having said phase shift, wherein said phase shift is induced by in vivo movements of the sample.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said full-field OCT imaging system and said OCT imaging system being mounted on a moving platform, the method further comprises moving said platform at least along an optical axis (Z) of the object arm to determine said plurality of en face images (X-Y).

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein said reference arm being mounted on a moving platform, the method further comprises moving said platform to compensate for defocus.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising moving said platform at least along a direction (X, Y) perpendicular to said optical axis of the object arm.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said object arm being mounted on a moving platform, the method further comprises moving said platform along an optical axis (Z) of the object arm to determine said plurality of en face images (X-Y).

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein said reference arm being mounted on a moving platform, the method further comprises moving said platform to compensate for defocus.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said reference arm being mounted on a moving platform, the method further comprises moving said platform along an optical axis (X) of the reference arm to compensate for defocus, to determine said plurality of en face images (X-Y).

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising position shifting said first reflection surface of the reference arm of the full-field OCT imaging system to provide said phase shift between said at least two two-dimensional interferometric signals.

9. A system for in vivo, full-field interference microscopy imaging of a scattering three-dimensional sample comprising:

a full-field OCT imaging system for providing en face images of the sample, wherein said full-field OCT system comprises:

an interference device comprising an object arm intended to receive the sample and a reference arm comprising an optical lens and a first reflection surface, wherein said object arm and said reference arm are separated by a beam splitter and wherein the interference device is adapted to produce, when the sample is disposed on the object arm of the interference device, at each point of an imaging field, an interference between a reference wave obtained by reflection of incident light waves on an elementary surface of the first reflection surface corresponding to said point of the imaging field and an object wave obtained by backscattering of incident light waves by a voxel of a slice of the sample at a given depth, said voxel corresponding to said point of the imaging field, and

an acquisition device configured to acquire a temporal succession of two-dimensional interferometric signals resulting from the interferences produced at each point of the imaging field;

an OCT imaging system for providing at the same times of acquisition of said two-dimensional interferometric signals, cross-sectional images of both the sample and said first reflection surface of said full-field OCT imaging system; and

a processing unit configured to:

determine a plurality of en face images (X-Y) of a plurality of slices of the sample, each en face image being determined from at least two two-dimensional interferometric signals having a given phase shift,

wherein determining each en face image of the plurality of en face images further comprises selecting, using the processing unit, in said temporal succession of two-dimensional interferometric signals acquired by the acquisition device, at least two two-dimensional interferometric signals having said phase shift, wherein said phase shift is induced by in vivo movements of the sample;

determine from the cross-sectional images provided by the OCT imaging system at the times of acquisition of each of said two two-dimensional interferometric signals a depth (z) for each en face image (X-Y) of said plurality of slices; and

determine a 3D image of the sample from said plurality of en face images of said plurality of slices of the sample and depths.

10. The system according to claim 9 , wherein said first reflection surface of the reference arm of the full-field OCT imaging system is position shifted to provide said optical path difference between said at least two-dimensional interferometric signals.

11. The system according to claim 9 , wherein said object arm of the full-field OCT imaging system further comprises an optical lens.

12. The system according to claim 9 , wherein said reference arm and/or object arm of the full-field OCT imaging system can be moved with respect to said beam splitter of the interference device of said full-field OCT imaging system.

13. The system according to claim 9 , further comprising a moving platform, wherein said full-field OCT imaging system and said OCT imaging system are mounted on said moving platform.

14. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the OCT imaging system is a spectral domain OCT imaging system, a time-domain OCT imaging system, or a swept-source OCT imaging system.