A homogenized cerebrospinal fluid model for diffuse optical tomography in the neonatal head

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging Physics
• Neonatal Neuroscience

Background:

• Diffuse optical tomography (DOT) is a non-invasive imaging technique ideal for neonatal cerebral monitoring at the bedside.
• The classical diffusion approximation (DA) has limitations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) due to low optical property values.
• Arachnoid trabeculae in CSF can affect light propagation models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a new DOT model for the neonatal brain that incorporates arachnoid trabeculae in the CSF.
• To rigorously justify the new model based on the diffusion approximation of the homogenized radiative transfer equation.
• To evaluate the model's sensitivity to perturbations within the neonatal brain layer.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel DOT model derived from the diffusion approximation of the homogenized radiative transfer equation.
• Inclusion of arachnoid trabeculae within the cerebrospinal fluid layer in the model.
• Numerical simulations in two and three dimensions to assess model performance.

Main Results:

• The new model demonstrates improved sensitivity to perturbations in the neonatal brain layer compared to classical models.
• Numerical results validate the rigorous justification of the model.
• The model's enhanced sensitivity is attributed to the accurate representation of optical properties in the CSF.

Conclusions:

• The proposed DOT model offers enhanced accuracy for neonatal brain monitoring.
• Accounting for arachnoid trabeculae in CSF significantly improves the sensitivity of optical tomography.
• This advancement holds promise for more precise non-invasive cerebral monitoring in newborns.