Velocity accuracy enhancement and frame rate limitations in color Doppler optical coherence tomography

An improved velocity estimation algorithm is proposed. The algorithm locates the spectral peak within the detection bandwidth, and uses the power at frequencies distributed symmetrically around the peak to compute the centroid. While this algorithm provides very accurate estimates in the presence of a reflection, it fails when noise dominates signal. To compensate this drawback, a noise recognition algorithm is developed and traditional centroid estimates are used for noisy areas. Further, fundamental limits on velocity estimation precision obtainable in Color Doppler optical coherence tomography (CDOCT) are established as a function of image acquisition time.