To. Mcbride et al., A parallel-detection frequency-domain near-infrared tomography system for hemoglobin imaging of the breast in vivo, REV SCI INS, 72(3), 2001, pp. 1817-1824
A novel near-infrared frequency-domain system designed for tomographic brea
st imaging is described. The setup utilizes five optical wavelengths, from
660 to 826 nm, and parallel detection with 16 photomultiplier tubes. Direct
fiberoptic coupling with the tissue is achieved with a high precision posi
tioning device using 16 motorized actuators (0.5 mum precision) arranged ra
dially in a circular geometry. Images of breast tissue optical absorption a
nd reduced scattering coefficients are obtained using a Newton-type reconst
ruction algorithm to solve for the optimal fit between the measurement data
and predicted data from a finite element solution to the frequency-domain
diffusion equation. The design, calibration, and performance of the tomogra
phic imaging system are detailed. Data acquisition from the system requires
under 30 s for a single tomographic slice at one optical wavelength with a
measurement repeatability for a single phantom on average of 0.5% in ac in
tensity and 0.4 degrees in phase. Absorbing and scattering phantoms typical
of in vivo breast optical properties were imaged over a range of object-to
-background contrasts (50%-250%). The reconstructed absorption and scatteri
ng images are accurate to within 20% of the expected value. (C) 2001 Americ
an Institute of Physics.