Depth-resolved attenuation coefficient estimation from optical coherence tomography data in case of incomplete signal attenuation in the imaging depth range

Attenuation coefficient estimation from optical coherent tomography (OCT) data is one of the emerging methods for additional information extraction from the OCT data. With the reasonable assumptions of uniform proportion of the light, scattered backwards, relative to the light, scattered in all directions and the assumption of complete light attenuation within the imaging depth range, the attenuation coefficient can be estimated in every pixel of the OCT data volume, i.e. with the depth resolution. In the present paper the numerically effective method for lifting the second assumption was proposed. With numerical simulations and experiments it was shown, that the proposed method allows attenuation coefficient estimation even if OCT signal was not completely attenuated within the imaging depth range. Since the proposed method lifts one of the requirements for depth-resolved attenuation coefficient estimation, it allows the extension of the depth-resolved attenuation estimation method to the new applications.