Imaging Collagen Properties in the Uterosacral Ligaments of Women with Pelvic Organ Prolapse using Spatial Light Interference Microscopy (SLIM)

Hu Chenfei, Santi Melissa, Adelaja Oluwatobi, Kajdacsy-Balla Andre, Popescu Gabriel and Kobak William
Optics and Photonics, Frontiers in Physics 2019 10 3389 https://doi.org/10.3389/fphy.2019.00072.

We studied collagen fiber organization in tissue affected by pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and compared it to asymptomatic controls. Both the control and POP tissue biopsies were prepared and measured by a highly sensitive quantitative phase imaging (QPI) system, called spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM). Combined with automatic image processing, this modality provides quantitative, high-throughput assessment of fiber morphology. We found the fiber orientation in prolapsed specimens is less homogeneous, indicating an abnormal organization of collagen in the extracellular matrix (ECM).