Noncontact fluorescence diffuse optical tomography of heterogeneous media

Area of Science:

• Biomedical optics
• Medical imaging
• Small animal imaging

Background:

• Fluorescence-enhanced diffuse optical tomography (FDOT) offers functional information from small animal models.
• Current FDOT limitations include tissue heterogeneity and animal handling challenges.
• Addressing these limitations is crucial for advancing in vivo imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate a novel approach for FDOT based on object heterogeneity reconstruction.
• To overcome limitations posed by tissue heterogeneity and non-contact geometries in FDOT.
• To assess the feasibility of fluorescence yield reconstruction in vivo.

Main Methods:

• Developed a reconstruction method based on object heterogeneity.
• Evaluated the approach using phantoms with heterogeneous media and non-contact geometries.
• Conducted in vivo experiments on mice with lung tumors.

Main Results:

• The proposed heterogeneity reconstruction approach effectively addresses challenges in FDOT.
• Phantom studies demonstrated successful reconstructions in complex media and geometries.
• In vivo experiments showed feasibility for fluorescence yield reconstruction in mice.

Conclusions:

• The novel heterogeneity reconstruction method enhances FDOT for small animal functional imaging.
• This approach offers a promising solution for overcoming current FDOT limitations.
• Feasibility of in vivo fluorescence yield reconstruction was successfully demonstrated.