Quantitative fluorescence tomography using a combined tri-modality FT/DOT/XCT system.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Imaging
• Optical Physics
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Quantitative fluorescence tomography (FT) is crucial for in-vivo molecular imaging.
• Accurate reconstruction in FT is challenged by optical heterogeneity and limited anatomical information.
• Multi-modality approaches offer potential for improved image reconstruction accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a fully integrated tri-modality system combining fluorescence tomography (FT), diffuse optical tomography (DOT), and x-ray computed tomography (XCT).
• To evaluate the system's performance for quantitative fluorescence tomography using multi-modality imaging.
• To leverage anatomical and functional prior information for enhanced FT reconstruction.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel, fully integrated tri-modality imaging system (FT/DOT/XCT).
• Utilizing XCT for structural prior information and DOT for optical background heterogeneity (functional prior).
• Employing these priors to guide and constrain the FT reconstruction algorithm.

Main Results:

• Accurate localization of a 2.4 mm fluorescence inclusion was achieved using functional prior information alone.
• Fluorophore concentration recovery had a 70% error when only functional prior was used.
• Accurate fluorophore concentration recovery (within 8% error) was achieved by combining both DOT functional and XCT structural priors.

Conclusions:

• The integrated tri-modality system significantly enhances quantitative fluorescence tomography.
• Combining structural (XCT) and functional (DOT) prior information is essential for accurate fluorophore concentration recovery.
• This multi-modality approach represents a significant advancement in molecular imaging capabilities.