Preterm birth (PTB) presents a serious medical heath concern throughout the world. There is a high incidence of PTB in both developed and developing countries ranging from 11%-15%, respectively. Studies have shown there may be numerous precursors to PTB including infections, genetic predisposition, nutrition and various other morbidities which all lead to a premature disorganization in the cervical collagen resulting in the weakening of the structure designed to keep the fetus in utero. The changes in cervical collagen orientation and distribution may prove to be a predictor of PTB. Polarization imaging is an effective means to measure optical anisotropy in birefringent materials such as those rich in collagen as the cervix is. Non-invasive, full-field Mueller Matrix polarimetry (MMP) imaging methodologies and ex-vivo second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging were used to assess cervical collagen content and structure in non-pregnant porcine cervices. The SHG microscopy was used to verify the efficacy of the MMP in assessing changes in collagen orientation.

Date Published: 2 March 2017
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 10043, Diagnosis and Treatment of Diseases in the Breast and Reproductive System, 100430U (2 March 2017); doi: 10.1117/12.2250969

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 10043:
Diagnosis and Treatment of Diseases in the Breast and Reproductive System
Melissa C. Skala; Paul J. Campagnola, Editor(s)