Wide-field quantitative micro-elastography of freshly excised human prostate.

Prostate cancer is a significant global health issue. To advance diagnostic and treatment procedures, such as image-guided needle biopsy, optical imaging methods offering high spatial resolution have been proposed. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) allows for detailed visualization of prostate microarchitecture in three dimensions; however, it does not reliably differentiate tumors from surrounding healthy tissue. In this study, we use wide-field quantitative micro-elastography (QME) to image the micro-scale mechanical properties of freshly excised human prostate to provide additional contrast of tumor, which is known to exhibit increased stiffness. In our approach, we generate volumetric OCT, strain, and elasticity images over a field-of-view (x × y × z) of 46 × 46 × 1 mm³. We validate the contrast obtained in our images through co-registration with standard histology images.