We describe a phase-resolved functional optical coherence tomography system that can simultaneously yieldin situ images of tissue structure, blood flow velocity, standard deviation, birefringence, and the Stokes vectors in human skin. Multifunctional images were obtained by processing of analytical interference fringe signals derived from two perpendicular polarization-detection channels. The blood flow velocity and standard deviation images were obtained by comparison of the phases from pairs of analytical signals in neighboring A-lines in the same polarization state. The analytical signals from two polarization-diversity detection channels were used to determine the four Stokes vectors for four reference polarization states. From the four Stokes vectors, the birefringence image, which is not sensitive to the orientation of the optical axis in the sample, was obtained. Multifunctional in situ images of a port wine stain birthmark in human skin are presented.

We have developed a novel optical Hilbert transformation for phase-resolved optical Doppler tomographic imaging. Using a resonant scanner in the reference arm of the interferometer and the axial scanning speed of 4 kHz, the frame rate can be as high as 10 Hz for both structural and Doppler blood flow imaging 400 axial scans. The system has high sensitivity for measuring the Doppler frequency shift due to moving red blood cells. Real time images of in vivo blood flow in human skin using this interferometer are presented.