Optical tomography method that accounts for tilted chest wall in breast imaging

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Medical Imaging
• Photonic Measurements

Background:

• Breast tissue light reflection measurements are distorted by the underlying chest wall.
• This distortion is particularly significant for distant source-detector pairs and shallower chest wall depths.
• Accurate image reconstruction requires accounting for the chest-wall effect.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically evaluate a two-layer model-based reconstruction using the finite element method for breast imaging.
• To compare the performance of the two-layer model against the traditional semi-infinite model.
• To assess the clinical relevance of the two-layer model for patients with shallow chest walls.

Main Methods:

• Utilized finite element method for image reconstruction with a two-layer model.
• Performed simulations and phantom experiments to validate the model.
• Compared results from the two-layer model with a semi-infinite model.
• Fitted optical properties using the two-layer model on patient data.

Main Results:

• The two-layer model significantly improved light quantification of targets in breast imaging.
• Improvements were attributed to better background estimation and more accurate weight matrix calculations.
• Fitted optical properties from the two-layer model were more representative of actual breast and chest wall tissues.
• The model demonstrated effectiveness for patients with chest walls shallower than 2 cm.

Conclusions:

• A two-layer model-based reconstruction enhances the accuracy of light quantification in breast imaging.
• This approach effectively mitigates chest wall interference, leading to more reliable optical property measurements.
• The findings support the clinical application of the two-layer model for improved breast imaging, especially in cases with shallow chest walls.