Optical polarization tractography based on polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

Fibrous tissues exist in many parts of the body, where the directional fiber organization is critical in maintaining their normal functions. Disruption of the normal fibrous structure is often linked to tissue dysfunction. An imaging tool that can reveal the detailed fiber architecture will be valuable for our understanding of the structure-function relationship in these tissues. Here, we described a new high-resolution tractography method developed from Jones matrix polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography. We demonstrated its applications for visualization of fibrous structures in several different animal tissues.