In human airway, the ciliated cells and mucus are the first line of defense against inhaled pathogens and particulates, preventing them from invading the rest of the respiratory system. Ciliary dysfunction can quickly develop into a vulnerability for patients with acute and/or chronic diseases, including cystic fibrosis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and primary cilia dyskinesia. Ciliary beating frequency (CBF) can provide a good standard for determining cilia functionality. In this study, we developed a homemade prototype front-facing endoscope based on a spectrally encoded interferometric microscopy (SEIM) system using a phase-resolved Doppler (PRD) algorithm to measure and map the ciliary beating frequency within an en face region. We evaluated the capability of assessing the CBF ex vivo. This study is the steppingstone to in-vivo studies and the translation of mapping spatial CBF in clinics.
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