Time-resolved optical mammography using a liquid coupled interface

Abstract

A method has been devised for generating three-dimensional optical images of the breast using a 32-channel time-resolved system and a liquid-coupled interface. The breast is placed in a hemispherical cup surrounded by sources and detectors, and the remaining space is filled with a fluid with tissue-like optical properties. This approach has three significant benefits. First, cups can accommodate a large range of breast sizes, enabling the entire volume of the breast to be sampled. Second, the coupling of the source and detector optics at the surface is constant and independent of the subject, enabling intensity measurements to be employed in the image reconstruction. Third, the external geometry of the reconstructed volume is known exactly. Images of isolated targets with contrasting absorbing and scattering properties have been acquired, and the performance of the system has been evaluated in terms of the contrast, spatial resolution, and localization accuracy. These parameters were strongly dependent on the location of the targets within the imaged volume. Preliminary images of a healthy human subject are also presented, which reveal subtle heterogeneity, particularly in the distribution of scatter. The ability to detect an absorbing target adjacent to the breast is also demonstrated.

Monitoring the response to neoadjuvant hormone therapy for locally advanced breast cancer using three-dimensional time-resolved optical mammography

“…9,34 The patient lies prone with her breast pendant in the liquid-coupled patient interface. The system is described in detail elsewhere, 33 but in summary, picosecond laser pulses at 780 and 815 nm are transmitted to the breast via 31 optical fibers.…”

“…Images are reconstructed using the intensity and mean flight-time data types extracted from the TPSFs. 34 Patients underwent three optical imaging sessions. The first scan was before the start of treatment.…”

Optical tomography of breast cancer—monitoring response to primary medical therapy

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A Noninvasive Multimodal Sono-contrast NIR Spectroscopy System for Breast Cancer Diagnosis

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