Visualizing stiffness within the local tissue environment at the cellular and subcellular level
promises to provide insight into the genesis and progression of disease. In this Letter, we
propose ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence elastography (UHROCE), and demonstrate
3D imaging of local axial strain of tissues undergoing compressive loading. We combine
optical coherence microscopy (OCM) and phase-sensitive detection of local tissue
displacement to produce strain elastograms with resolution (x, y, z) of 2× 2× 15 μm. We …

In this paper, we describe a technique capable of visualizing mechanical properties at the
cellular scale deep in living tissue, by incorporating a gradient-index (GRIN)-lens micro-
endoscope into an ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence elastography system. The optical
system, after the endoscope, has a lateral resolution of 1.6 µm and an axial resolution of 2.2
µm. Bessel beam illumination and Gaussian mode detection are used to provide an
extended depth-of-field of 80 µm, which is a 4-fold improvement over a fully Gaussian beam …