Computer simulation of time-resolved optical imaging of objects hidden in turbid media

We review research on time-resolved optical imaging of objects hidden in strongly scattering media, with emphasis on the application to breast cancer detection. A method is presented to simulate the propagation of light in turbid media. Based on a numerical algorithm to solve the time-dependent diffusion equation, the method takes into account spatial variations of the reduced scattering and absorption factors of the medium due to the presence of objects as well as random fluctuations of these factors. It is shown that the simulation method reproduces, without fitting, experimental results on tissue-like phantoms. Using experimental and simulation results, an assessment is made of the reliability for extracting the reduced scattering and absorption coefficients of the medium from time-resolved reflection and transillumination data. The simulation technique is employed to study the conditions for locating mm-sized objects immersed in a turbid medium, by direct, time-resolved imaging. We discuss a simple method to enhance the imaging power of the time-resolved technique. The mathematical justification of the method, as well as some applications to simple problems, is given. The simulation technique is employed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the data processing technique. Results of time-resolved reflection experiments and simulations are presented, showing that the use of the latter allow us to locate 1 mm diameter objects under conditions which would prevent detection otherwise. Our results demonstrate that the combination of simulation and the appropriate processing of the diffusive part of the time-resolved reflected or transmitted light intensity may substantially increase the potential of the time-resolved near-infrared diffusive light imaging technique as a diagnostic tool for breast cancer detection. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

[1]  Chance,et al.  Scattering and wavelength transduction of diffuse photon density waves. , 1993, Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics.

[2]  M. Suzuki,et al.  General theory of fractal path integrals with applications to many‐body theories and statistical physics , 1991 .

[3]  J. Melissen,et al.  Tomographic image reconstruction from optical projections in light-diffusing media. , 1997, Applied optics.

[4]  M S Patterson,et al.  Determination of the optical properties of turbid media from a single Monte Carlo simulation , 1996, Physics in medicine and biology.

[5]  Hans De Raedt,et al.  Applications of the generalized Trotter formula , 1983 .

[6]  R A Kruger,et al.  Time resolved imaging through a highly scattering medium. , 1991, Applied optics.

[7]  D T Delpy,et al.  Monte Carlo simulations of coherent backscatter for identification of the optical coefficients of biological tissues in vivo. , 1995, Applied optics.

[8]  J. Schmitt,et al.  Use of polarized light to discriminate short-path photons in a multiply scattering medium. , 1992, Applied optics.

[9]  R Marchesini,et al.  Extinction and absorption coefficients and scattering phase functions of human tissues in vitro. , 1989, Applied optics.

[10]  Joseph R. Lakowicz,et al.  Frequency-domain measurements of photon migration in tissues , 1990 .

[11]  R A Groenhuis,et al.  Scattering and absorption of turbid materials determined from reflection measurements. 2: measuring method and calibration. , 1983, Applied optics.

[12]  B. Wilson,et al.  Monte Carlo modeling of light propagation in highly scattering tissues. II. Comparison with measurements in phantoms , 1989, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[13]  B. Wilson,et al.  Time resolved reflectance and transmittance for the non-invasive measurement of tissue optical properties. , 1989, Applied optics.

[14]  R. Alfano,et al.  Ballistic 2-D Imaging Through Scattering Walls Using an Ultrafast Optical Kerr Gate , 1991, Science.

[15]  R. Alfano,et al.  Optical polarization imaging. , 1997, Applied optics.

[16]  M. Keijzer,et al.  LIGHT DOSIMETRY FOR PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY BY WHOLE BLADDER WALL IRRADIATION , 1987, Photochemistry and photobiology.

[17]  De Raedt,et al.  Computer simulation of time-gated transillumination and reflection of biological tissues and tissuelike phantoms. , 1997, Medical physics.

[18]  S. Svanberg,et al.  Time-gated viewing studies on tissuelike phantoms. , 1996, Applied optics.

[19]  B. Boné,et al.  Diagnostic Accuracy of Mammography and Contrast-Enhanced MR Imaging in 238 Histologically Verified Breast Lesions , 1997, Acta radiologica.

[20]  S R Arridge,et al.  Direct calculation of the moments of the distribution of photon time of flight in tissue with a finite-element method. , 1995, Applied optics.

[21]  J Langerholc.  Beam broadening in dense scattering media. , 1982, Applied optics.

[22]  S Nioka,et al.  Time-resolved spectroscopy of hemoglobin and myoglobin in resting and ischemic muscle. , 1988, Analytical biochemistry.

[23]  D. Delpy,et al.  Time-resolved optical imaging of a solid tissue-equivalent phantom. , 1995, Applied optics.

[24]  R Cubeddu,et al.  Experimental test of theoretical models for time-resolved reflectance. , 1996, Medical physics.

[25]  M. Schweiger,et al.  A finite element approach for modeling photon transport in tissue. , 1993, Medical physics.

[26]  P. Marquet,et al.  Role of tissue structure in photon migration through breast tissues. , 1997, Applied optics.

[27]  H. A. Ferwerda,et al.  Scattering and absorption of turbid materials determined from reflection measurements. 1: theory. , 1983, Applied optics.

[28]  R R Alfano,et al.  Ultrafast time-gated imaging in thick tissues: a step toward optical mammography. , 1993, Optics letters.

[29]  R R Alfano,et al.  Temporal gating in highly scattering media by the degree of optical polarization. , 1996, Optics letters.

[30]  D A Benaron,et al.  Optical time-of-flight and absorbance imaging of biologic media. , 1993, Science.

[31]  K D Paulsen,et al.  Frequency-domain optical image reconstruction in turbid media: an experimental study of single-target detectability. , 1997, Applied optics.

[32]  S L Jacques,et al.  Pulsed photothermal radiometry in turbid media: internal reflection of backscattered radiation strongly influences optical dosimetry. , 1989, Applied optics.

[33]  D T Delpy,et al.  Imaging very-low-contrast objects in breastlike scattering media with a time-resolved method. , 1997, Applied optics.

[34]  M. Ferrari,et al.  Effects of carotid artery compression test on regional cerebral blood volume, hemoglobin oxygen saturation and cytochrome-C-oxidase redox level in cerebrovascular patients. , 1986, Advances in experimental medicine and biology.

[35]  P. Monnier,et al.  Clinical determination of tissue optical properties by endoscopic spatially resolved reflectometry. , 1996, Applied optics.

[36]  Frank K. Tittel,et al.  Determination of tissue optical properties by piezoelectric detection of laser-induced stress waves , 1993, Photonics West - Lasers and Applications in Science and Engineering.

[37]  R A Kruger,et al.  Transillumination imaging performance: a time-of-flight imaging system. , 1990, Medical physics.

[38]  Jack Feinberg,et al.  Time-resolved holography , 1991, Nature.

[39]  M. Schweiger,et al.  Theoretical and experimental investigation of near-infrared light propagation in a model of the adult head. , 1997, Applied optics.

[40]  A G Yodh,et al.  Scattering of diffuse photon density waves by spherical inhomogeneities within turbid media: analytic solution and applications. , 1994, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[41]  D. Watmough,et al.  Transillumination of breast tissues: factors governing optimal imaging of lesions. , 1983, Radiology.

[42]  D. Watmough.  Diaphanography: mechanism responsible for the images. , 1982, Acta radiologica. Oncology.

[43]  G. Newstead,et al.  MR imaging of the breast. , 1995, Radiology.

[44]  M. H. Koelink,et al.  Condensed Monte Carlo simulations for the description of light transport. , 1993, Applied optics.

[45]  M S Patterson,et al.  The physics of photodynamic therapy. , 1986, Physics in medicine and biology.

[46]  S L Jacques,et al.  Modeling optical and thermal distributions in tissue during laser irradiation , 1987, Lasers in surgery and medicine.

[47]  A. Welch,et al.  Determining the optical properties of turbid mediaby using the adding-doubling method. , 1993, Applied optics.

[48]  B. Monsees,et al.  Light scan evaluation of nonpalpable breast lesions. , 1987, Radiology.

[49]  R Nossal,et al.  Scaling relationships for theories of anisotropic random walks applied to tissue optics. , 1993, Applied optics.

[50]  K. Paulsen,et al.  Spatially varying optical property reconstruction using a finite element diffusion equation approximation. , 1995, Medical physics.

[51]  D. Delpy,et al.  COTSIDE MEASUREMENT OF CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW IN ILL NEWBORN INFANTS BY NEAR INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY , 1988, The Lancet.

[52]  S R Arridge,et al.  Imaging through scattering media by the use of an analytical model of perturbation amplitudes in the time domain. , 1996, Applied optics.

[53]  E R Anderson,et al.  Frequency-domain photon migration measurements of normal and malignant tissue optical properties in a human subject. , 1997, Applied optics.

[54]  H Key,et al.  Optical attenuation characteristics of breast tissues at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. , 1991, Physics in medicine and biology.

[55]  S. Jacques,et al.  Optical reflectance and transmittance of tissues: principles and applications , 1990 .

[56]  A H Hielscher,et al.  Influence of particle size and concentration on the diffuse backscattering of polarized light from tissue phantoms and biological cell suspensions. , 1997, Applied optics.

[57]  R. J. Grable.  Optical tomography improves mammography , 1996 .

[58]  J O Barentsz,et al.  Breast tumors: comparative accuracy of MR imaging relative to mammography and US for demonstrating extent. , 1995, Radiology.

[59]  R. Anderson,et al.  Determination of optical properties of turbid media using pulsed photothermal radiometry , 1992, Physics in medicine and biology.

[60]  Alessandro Torricelli,et al.  Time-resolved imaging on a realistic tissue phantom: μ(s)' and μ(a) images versus time-integrated images. , 1996, Applied optics.

[61]  S Andersson-Engels,et al.  Multispectral tissue characterization with time-resolved detection of diffusely scattered white light. , 1993, Optics letters.

[62]  Kristel Michielsen,et al.  Time-gated transillumination and reflection by biological tissues and tissuelike phantoms: simulation versus experiment , 1997 .

[63]  E. Gratton,et al.  Image reconstruction by backprojection from frequency-domain optical measurements in highly scattering media. , 1997, Applied optics.

[64]  O Jarlman,et al.  Time-resolved white light transillumination for optical imaging , 1997, Acta radiologica.

[65]  P. Skaane,et al.  Interobserver Variation in the Interpretation of Breast Imaging , 1997, Acta radiologica.

[66]  D. Boas,et al.  Determination of optical properties and blood oxygenation in tissue using continuous NIR light , 1995, Physics in medicine and biology.

[67]  M D Duncan,et al.  Time-gated imaging through scattering media using stimulated Raman amplification. , 1991, Optics letters.

[68]  G. Weiss,et al.  Random walk analysis of time-resolved transillumination measurements in optical imaging , 1993 .

[69]  J. S. Reynolds,et al.  Optical diffusion imaging: a comparative numerical and experimental study. , 1996, Applied optics.

[70]  H. Wabnitz,et al.  Imaging in turbid media by photon density waves: spatial resolution and scaling relations. , 1997, Applied optics.

[71]  Kristel Michielsen,et al.  Algorithm to solve the time-dependent Schro¨dinger equation for a charged particle in an inhomogeneous magnetic field: application to the Aharonov-Bohm effect , 1994 .

[72]  P. Kubelka,et al.  New Contributions to the Optics of Intensely Light-Scattering Materials. Part I , 1948 .

[73]  A Joblin,et al.  Tumor contrast in time-domain, near-infrared laser breast imaging. , 1997, Applied optics.

[74]  R. Steiner,et al.  Spatially resolved absolute diffuse reflectance measurements for noninvasive determination of the optical scattering and absorption coefficients of biological tissue. , 1996, Applied optics.

[75]  S. Svanberg,et al.  Time-resolved transillumination for medical diagnostics. , 1990, Optics letters.

[76]  S Nioka,et al.  Optical imaging of human breast cancer. , 1994, Advances in experimental medicine and biology.

[77]  E Gratton,et al.  Propagation of photon-density waves in strongly scattering media containing an absorbing semi-infinite plane bounded by a straight edge. , 1993, Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics and image science.

[78]  B. Wilson,et al.  A diffusion theory model of spatially resolved, steady-state diffuse reflectance for the noninvasive determination of tissue optical properties in vivo. , 1992, Medical physics.

[79]  Yukio Yamada,et al.  Monte Carlo simulation of light transmission through living tissues. , 1991, Applied optics.

[80]  Hans De Raedt,et al.  Product formula algorithms for solving the time dependent Schrödinger equation , 1987 .

[81]  L. O. Svaasand,et al.  Properties of photon density waves in multiple-scattering media. , 1993, Applied optics.

[82]  M S Patterson,et al.  Optical properties of normal and diseased human breast tissues in the visible and near infrared. , 1990, Physics in medicine and biology.

[83]  Brian C. Wilson,et al.  Measurement of Tissue Optical Properties: Methods and Theories , 1995 .

[84]  A. Lagendijk,et al.  Location of objects in multiple-scattering media , 1993 .

[85]  Thomas F. Deutsch,et al.  Pulsed photothermal radiometry for depth profiling of layered media , 1987 .

[86]  Emmett N. Leith,et al.  Imaging through scattering media with holography , 1992 .

[87]  M. V. van Gemert,et al.  Measurements and calculations of the energy fluence rate in a scattering and absorbing phantom at 633 nm. , 1989, Applied optics.

[88]  E Gratton,et al.  Possible correlation between blood glucose concentration and the reduced scattering coefficient of tissues in the near infrared. , 1994, Optics letters.

[89]  H. J. van Staveren,et al.  Light scattering in Intralipid-10% in the wavelength range of 400-1100 nm. , 1991, Applied optics.

[90]  S. G. Proskurin,et al.  Application of the zooming method in near-infrared imaging. , 1997, Physics in medicine and biology.

[91]  T. Rissanen,et al.  Mammography and ultrasound in the diagnosis of contralateral breast cancer. , 1995, Acta radiologica.

[92]  Barley Sl.  Letter: Blood-ethanol in liver disease. , 1975 .

[93]  O Jarlman,et al.  Medical transillumination imaging using short-pulse diode lasers. , 1993, Applied optics.

[94]  William H. Press,et al.  Numerical recipes , 1990 .

[95]  N H Abramson,et al.  Single pulse light-in-flight recording by holography. , 1989, Applied optics.

[96]  A E Profio,et al.  Scientific basis of breast diaphanography. , 1989, Medical physics.

[97]  D Contini,et al.  Photon migration through a turbid slab described by a model based on diffusion approximation. I. Theory. , 1997, Applied optics.

[98]  A G Yodh,et al.  Detection and characterization of optical inhomogeneities with diffuse photon density waves: a signal-to-noise analysis. , 1997, Applied optics.

[99]  Frank K. Tittel,et al.  The influence of boundary conditions on the accuracy of diffusion theory in time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy of biological tissues , 1995, Physics in medicine and biology.

[100]  T Lépine,et al.  Imaging in diffuse media with ultrafast degenerate optical parametric amplification. , 1995, Optics letters.

[101]  B. Wilson,et al.  A Monte Carlo model for the absorption and flux distributions of light in tissue. , 1983, Medical physics.

[102]  R R Alfano,et al.  Time-Resolved Imaging of Translucent Droplets in Highly Scattering Turbid Media , 1994, Science.

[103]  C L Matson,et al.  Three-dimensional tumor localization in thick tissue with the use of diffuse photon-density waves. , 1997, Applied optics.

[104]  W. Zinth,et al.  Time-gated transillumination of biological tissues and tissuelike phantoms. , 1994, Applied optics.

[105]  Christian Depeursinge,et al.  Resolution of time-resolved breast transillumination: in vitro measurements compared with theoretical predictions , 1995 .

[106]  M Essenpreis,et al.  The influence of glucose concentration upon the transport of light in tissue-simulating phantoms. , 1995, Physics in medicine and biology.

[107]  J. Alper.  Transillumination: looking right through you. , 1993, Science.

[108]  G. Hedstrom,et al.  Numerical Solution of Partial Differential Equations , 1966 .

[109]  S R Arridge,et al.  The theoretical basis for the determination of optical pathlengths in tissue: temporal and frequency analysis. , 1992, Physics in medicine and biology.

[110]  M. Suzuki,et al.  Decomposition formulas of exponential operators and Lie exponentials with some applications to quantum mechanics and statistical physics , 1985 .

[111]  K.,et al.  Frequency-domain optical mammography: edge effect corrections. , 1996, Medical physics.

[112]  B Chance,et al.  Highly sensitive object location in tissue models with linear in-phase and anti-phase multi-element optical arrays in one and two dimensions. , 1993, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[113]  M. V. van Gemert,et al.  Image quality in time-resolved transillumination of highly scattering media. , 1995, Applied optics.

[114]  Akira Ishimaru,et al.  Wave propagation and scattering in random media , 1997 .

[115]  Xingde Li,et al.  Diffraction tomography for biochemical imaging with diffuse-photon density waves. , 1997, Optics letters.

[116]  M. Cope,et al.  Influence of glucose concentration on light scattering in tissue-simulating phantoms. , 1994, Optics letters.

[117]  M. Schweiger,et al.  The finite element method for the propagation of light in scattering media: boundary and source conditions. , 1995, Medical physics.

[118]  D. Boas,et al.  Experimental images of heterogeneous turbid media by frequency-domain diffusing-photon tomography. , 1995, Optics letters.

[119]  S L Jacques,et al.  Optical properties of intralipid: A phantom medium for light propagation studies , 1992, Lasers in surgery and medicine.

[120]  G. Taubes.  Play of Light Opens a New Window Into the Body , 1997, Science.

[121]  J. Brazy,et al.  Noninvasive monitoring of cerebral oxygenation in preterm infants: preliminary observations. by brazy je, lewis dv, mitnick mh, and joubsis vander vliet ff. pediatrics 1985; 75:217–225 , 1985, Pediatrics.

[122]  Britton Chance,et al.  Phase modulation system for dual wavelength difference spectroscopy of hemoglobin deoxygenation in tissues , 1990, Photonics West - Lasers and Applications in Science and Engineering.

[123]  Peter D. Wagner,et al.  Oxygen Transport to Tissue XVI , 2012, Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology.

[124]  D T Delpy,et al.  Simulation of the point spread function for light in tissue by a Monte Carlo method. , 1987, Advances in experimental medicine and biology.

[125]  Chance,et al.  Refraction of diffuse photon density waves. , 1992, Physical review letters.

[126]  K. Symanzik.  Proof and Refinements of an Inequality of Feynman , 1965 .

[127]  B Chance,et al.  Quantitative Measurement of Optical Parameters in the Breast Using Time-Resolved Spectroscopy: Phantom and Preliminary In Vivo Results , 1994, Investigative radiology.

[128]  Matthias Orlt,et al.  Reconstruction algorithm for near-infrared imaging in turbid media by means of time-domain data , 1997 .

[129]  Giovanni Zaccanti,et al.  Imaging of highly turbid media by the absorption method. , 1996, Applied optics.

[130]  S L Jacques,et al.  Experimental tests of a simple diffusion model for the estimation of scattering and absorption coefficients of turbid media from time-resolved diffuse reflectance measurements. , 1992, Applied optics.

[131]  M. Säbel,et al.  Recent developments in breast imaging. , 1996, Physics in medicine and biology.

[132]  A E Profio,et al.  Spectral transmittance and contrast in breast diaphanography. , 1985, Medical physics.

[133]  B. Wilson,et al.  Monte Carlo modeling of light propagation in highly scattering tissues. I. Model predictions and comparison with diffusion theory , 1989, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[134]  J M Schmitt,et al.  Interference of diffusive light waves. , 1992, Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics and image science.

[135]  F. Bretenaker,et al.  Rotating polarization imaging in turbid media. , 1996, Optics letters.

[136]  B. Pogue,et al.  Optical image reconstruction using frequency-domain data: simulations and experiments , 1996 .

[137]  A. Welch,et al.  A review of the optical properties of biological tissues , 1990 .

[138]  J. E. Kiefer,et al.  Numerical method for studying the detectability of inclusions hidden in optically turbid tissue. , 1993, Applied optics.

[139]  K. S. Kölbig,et al.  Errata: Milton Abramowitz and Irene A. Stegun, editors, Handbook of Mathematical Functions with Formulas, Graphs, and Mathematical Tables, National Bureau of Standards, Applied Mathematics Series, No. 55, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1994, and all known reprints , 1972 .

[140]  S. Jacques,et al.  Time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy in turbid tissues , 1989, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[141]  B. Wilson,et al.  Frequency-domain reflectance for the determination of the scattering and absorption properties of tissue. , 1991, Applied optics.

[142]  H. Wabnitz,et al.  Time-resolved imaging of solid phantoms for optical mammography. , 1997, Applied optics.

[143]  Sigrid Avrillier,et al.  Fast semianalytical Monte Carlo simulation for time-resolved light propagation in turbid media , 1996 .

[144]  B. Chance,et al.  Spectroscopy and Imaging with Diffusing Light , 1995 .

[145]  G. Weiss,et al.  Model for photon migration in turbid biological media. , 1987, Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics and image science.

[146]  C. Piantadosi,et al.  Near infrared monitoring of human skeletal muscle oxygenation during forearm ischemia. , 1988, Journal of applied physiology.

[147]  A Taddeucci,et al.  Photon migration through a turbid slab described by a model based on diffusion approximation. II. Comparison with Monte Carlo results. , 1997, Applied optics.

[148]  Susan Wray,et al.  QUANTIFICATION OF CEREBRAL OXYGENATION AND HAEMODYNAMICS IN SICK NEWBORN INFANTS BY NEAR INFRARED SPECTROPHOTOMETRY , 1986, The Lancet.

[149]  J M Schmitt,et al.  Spatial localization of absorbing bodies by interfering diffusive photon-density waves. , 1993, Applied optics.

[150]  Robert R. Alfano,et al.  Emerging Optical Biomedical Imaging Techniques , 1996 .