Calibration and artifact correction in an angular-domain fluorescence optical projection tomography system

Fluorescence optical projection tomography with angular restriction is a promising technique for mesoscopic imaging of low scattering biological samples. As such, an angular domain system is being developed to address the problem of undetected micrometastases in lymph node biopsy tissues. Previous studies demonstrated its utility for lymph node applications and rigorously characterized imaging performance of the system. Through this evaluation, image artifacts were revealed in the reconstructions that limit achievable contrast and resolution. The objective of this work was to investigate the cause of those artifacts and potential remedies. Results demonstrated that an incorrect axis of rotation and detector response were the significant contributors of image artifacts, but post-acquisition calibration could account for the errors.