Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has great potential for deciphering the role of mechanics in normal and abnormal heart development. OCT images tissue microstructure and blood flow deep into the tissue (1-2 mm) at high spatiotemporal resolutions allowing unprecedented images of the developing heart. Here, we review the advancement of OCT technology to image heart development and report some of our recent findings utilizing OCT imaging under environmental control for longitudinal imaging. Precise control of the environment is absolutely required in longitudinal studies that follow the growth of the embryo or studies comparing normal versus perturbed heart development to obtain meaningful in vivo results. These types of studies are essential to tease out the influence of cardiac dynamics on molecular expression and their role in the progression of congenital heart defects.

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光学相干断层扫描对心脏发育的纵向成像

光学相干断层扫描 (OCT) 在破译力学在正常和异常心脏发育中的作用方面具有巨大潜力。OCT 以高时空分辨率对组织微观结构和血液深入组织（1-2 毫米）进行成像，从而获得前所未有的发育中心脏图像。在这里，我们回顾了 OCT 技术在心脏发育成像方面的进步，并报告了我们最近利用环境控制下的 OCT 成像进行纵向成像的一些发现。在跟踪胚胎生长的纵向研究或比较正常与受扰心脏发育的研究中，绝对需要精确控制环境以获得有意义的体内结果。