Modeling the optical coherence tomography geometry using the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle and Monte Carlo simulations

We review a new theoretical description of the optical coherence tomography (OCT) geometry for imaging in highly scattering tissue. The new model is based on the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle, and it is valid in the single and multiple scattering regimes. Furthermore, we simulate the operation of the OCT system using a specially adapted Monte Carlo simulation code. To enable Monte Carlo simulation of the coherent mixing of the sample and reference beams the code uses a method of calculating the OCT signal derived using the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle. Results obtained with the Monte Carlo simulation and the new theoretical description compare favorably. Finally, the application of the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle for extracting optical scattering properties is used to obtain a so-called true reflection algorithm.