Detection of Single and Multiple Targets in Tissue Phantoms with Fluorescence-enhanced Optical Imaging: Feasibility Study

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Abstract
To evaluate the feasibility of reconstructing single and multiple targets by using fluorescence-enhanced tomography of a breast tissue phantom. Frequency-domain fluorescence measurements were performed in cup-shaped tissue phantoms of clinically relevant size (diameter, 10 cm) in which single or multiple 0.5-1.0-cm(3) targets that contained micromolar concentrations of indocyanine green with 1:0 and 100:1 target-to-background (T:B) contrast ratios had been embedded. Rapid acquisition of time-dependent fluorescent light measurements was performed at the phantom surface in response to point illumination of excitation light by using a gain-modulated intensified charge-coupled device detection system. Boundary surface measurements were used to tomographically reconstruct the interior targets located with various experimental conditions. Single 1.0-cm(3) targets located between 1.43 and 2.82 cm deep from the phantom surface at a T:B contrast ratio of 100:1 and three approximately 0.55-cm(3) targets located about 1.30 cm deep at a T:B contrast ratio of 1:0 were reconstructed with minimal or no artifacts by using boundary surface fluorescence measurements and an approximate extended Kalman filter algorithm. It is feasible to detect single or multiple fluorescent targets in tissue phantoms of clinically relevant size by using fluorescence-enhanced optical tomography.