Quantitative tissue assessment using microstructural cross-polarization optical coherence tomography in glioma surgery

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a promising method of glial tumors borders visualization. Nowadays it is possible to use hand-held and microscope mounted OCT devices during tumor removal. But still there are no clearly criteria of OCT images for differentiation between glioma and non-tumorous brain tissue. The quantitative analysis of ex vivo biopsy specimens of brain tissue and glioma cross-polarization OCT (CP OCT), which can detect both the scattering and polarization properties of tissues, allowed to find out differences between glioma and brain tissue.