Motion-gated acquisition for in vivo optical imaging

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Medical Imaging Technology
• Physiological Monitoring

Background:

• Quantitative in vivo optical imaging techniques like fluorescence imaging face challenges in clinical translation due to motion artifacts.
• Cardiac and respiratory motion significantly degrade image quality and quantitative analysis in optical imaging.
• Existing solutions for motion compensation are often complex or insufficient for diverse clinical needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a cost-effective, hardware-based gating device for synchronizing optical imaging acquisition with physiological signals.
• To overcome motion-related limitations hindering the clinical adoption of advanced optical imaging modalities.
• To enable precise control over acquisition timing for improved quantitative measurements in vivo.

Main Methods:

• Designed and implemented a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based, hardware-only gating device.
• The device generates a phase-locked acquisition window with adjustable delay and width, adaptable to various input signals.
• Tested the device's performance using a motion simulator in vitro and near-infrared fluorescence angiography in vivo on a beating pig heart.

Main Results:

• The gating device demonstrated precise timing resolution (
• Significant improvements in quantitative measurements were observed in vitro and in vivo.
• Near-infrared fluorescence angiography of a beating pig heart showed dramatically enhanced image quality and data accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The developed low-cost gating device effectively mitigates motion artifacts in optical imaging.
• This technology facilitates the clinical translation of quantitative in vivo optical imaging techniques.
• The device's versatility and performance pave the way for broader clinical application of advanced optical diagnostics.