Imaging birefringent tissue in the human tympanic membrane by polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

Acousto-mechanical properties of the human tympanic membrane mainly depend on the connective tissue in its layered structure. Using polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography, a depth-resolved imaging technique which provides additional tissue specific contrast, polarization changes of the birefringent layers in the human tympanic membrane were detected. By depicting estimated local retardances, distinguishing different tissue types was possible. This suggests the ability to image pathological alterations of the connective tissue with PSOCT, which extends the conventional diagnostic methods in middle ear surgery.