Imaging the ex-vivo human cochlea using 1.3-μm and 1.7-μm optical coherence tomography

We conclude that both <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>1.7</mml:mn> <mml:mtext> </mml:mtext> <mml:mi>μ</mml:mi> <mml:mi>m</mml:mi></mml:mrow> </mml:math> and <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>1.3</mml:mn> <mml:mtext> </mml:mtext> <mml:mi>μ</mml:mi> <mml:mi>m</mml:mi></mml:mrow> </mml:math> OCT can image through the human otic capsule, offering the potential for direct measurement of cochlear vibrometry or blood flow in living humans. Using <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>1.7</mml:mn> <mml:mtext> </mml:mtext> <mml:mi>μ</mml:mi> <mml:mi>m</mml:mi></mml:mrow> </mml:math> light, we observed reduced multiple scattering in the otic capsule, leading to enhanced contrast of cochlear structures compared with <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>1.3</mml:mn> <mml:mtext> </mml:mtext> <mml:mi>μ</mml:mi> <mml:mi>m</mml:mi></mml:mrow> </mml:math> . However, these improvements were marginal and came with trade-offs.