Optica, Biomedical Optics Express, 11(4), p. 2546, 2013
DOI: 10.1364/boe.4.002546
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We present a quantitative second-harmonic generation (SHG) imaging technique that quantifies the 2D spatial organization of collagen fiber samples under dynamic conditions, as an image is acquired. The technique is demonstrated for both a well-aligned tendon sample and a randomly aligned, sparsely distributed collagen scaffold sample. For a fixed signal-to-noise ratio, we confirm the applicability of this method for various window sizes (pixel areas) as well as with using a gridded overlay map that allows for correlations of fiber orientations within a given image. This work has direct impact to in vivo biological studies by incorporating simultaneous SHG image acquisition and analysis.