The early study on the inspection of tongue of the traditional Chinese medicine using optical coherence tomography

Hui-Qing Zhong; Chang-Chun Zeng; Zhou-Yi Guo; Yong-Hong He; Rui-Kang Wang; Song-Hao Liu

doi:10.1117/12.741592

1 May 2007 The early study on the inspection of tongue of the traditional Chinese medicine using optical coherence tomography

Hui-Qing Zhong, Chang-Chun Zeng, Zhou-Yi Guo, Yong-Hong He, Rui-Kang Wang, Song-Hao Liu

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 6534, Fifth International Conference on Photonics and Imaging in Biology and Medicine; 65341V (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.741592
Event: Fifth International Conference on Photonics and Imaging in Biology and Medicine, 2006, Wuhan, China

Abstract

Inspection of tongue is an age-old technique used by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners to determine a patient's health status. Because tongue examination is a subjective and inaccurate diagnostic method, a scientific tool which can provide objective and accurate information is needed to assist the TCM practitioners in their practice. The purpose of the study was to examine the feasibility of developing a glossoscopy from an optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging system. In the present study, an OCT system was used to examine the tongue of the rat. After examination, the tongue was surgically removed, sectioned by a microtome and put on a glass slide for histological examination. The slides were examined under a bright-field microscope. Results of the OCT imaging studies showed that the OCT system was capable of showing the images of three distinct regions of the tongue: the tongue coating layers, the interface between the tongue coating and the tongue body, and the tongue body. It was also possible to assign an index number to each of the coating layers. When the tongue tissue was examined under a microscope, three separate regions of the tongue also were visible. Results of this pilot study shows that the OCT potentially can be developed into a glossoscopy for clinical application in TCM practice.

Citation Download Citation

Hui-Qing Zhong, Chang-Chun Zeng, Zhou-Yi Guo, Yong-Hong He, Rui-Kang Wang, and Song-Hao Liu "The early study on the inspection of tongue of the traditional Chinese medicine using optical coherence tomography", Proc. SPIE 6534, Fifth International Conference on Photonics and Imaging in Biology and Medicine, 65341V (1 May 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.741592

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