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Updated: Mar 28, 2026
Computed Tomography-guided Time-domain Diffuse Fluorescence Tomography in Small Animals for Localization of Cancer Biomarkers
Published on: July 17, 2012
Quantitative spatial frequency fluorescence imaging in the sub-diffusive domain for image-guided glioma resection
Mira Sibai1, Israel Veilleux2, Jonathan T Elliott3
1Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, 101 College Street, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7 Canada ; Princess Margaret Cancer Center/University Health Network, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2M3 Canada.
This study introduces a new wide-field imaging method to accurately measure 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-induced protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) concentrations in brain tumors. This technique improves glioblastoma resection by overcoming limitations of subjective visual fluorescence assessment.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Biomedical Optics
- Cancer Imaging
Background:
- 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) induces protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) fluorescence, aiding glioblastoma resection by enhancing tumor visualization.
- Current visual assessment of PpIX fluorescence is subjective and hindered by light attenuation and autofluorescence, limiting its accuracy.
- Previous work demonstrated that point measurements of absolute PpIX concentration can detect residual tumors not visible to the naked eye.
Purpose of the Study:
- To extend point-based PpIX concentration measurements to wide-field quantitative fluorescence imaging.
- To develop a method for recovering tissue optical properties across an imaging field-of-view for improved PpIX quantification.
- To enhance the accuracy and reliability of intraoperative fluorescence guidance for glioblastoma surgery.
Main Methods:
- Implementation of spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) for quantitative fluorescence measurements.
- Application of SFDI to recover spatially varying tissue optical properties.
- Validation of the wide-field imaging approach using phantoms and ex vivo tissue samples.
Main Results:
- Successfully extended point measurements of PpIX concentration to wide-field imaging.
- Spatial frequency domain imaging enabled the recovery of tissue optical properties across the field-of-view.
- Demonstrated the feasibility of quantitative wide-field fluorescence imaging in phantoms and ex vivo tissue.
Conclusions:
- Wide-field quantitative fluorescence imaging using SFDI can overcome limitations of subjective visual assessment in glioblastoma surgery.
- This approach provides more accurate and reliable PpIX concentration mapping, potentially leading to improved maximal safe resection.
- Further development could integrate this technique into intraoperative surgical navigation systems.
