Time-domain diffuse fluorescence tomography using BEM forward solver

Traditionally, volume based finite element method (FEM) or finite difference method (FDM) are applied to the forward problem of the time-domain diffuse fluorescence tomography (DFT), this paper presents a new numerical method for solving the problem: the boundary element method (BEM). Using BEM forward solver is explored as an alternative to the FEM or FDM solution methodology for the elliptic equations used to model the generation and transport of fluorescent light in highly scattering media. In contrast to the FEM or FDM, the boundary integral method requires only representation of the surface meshes, thus requires many fewer nodes and elements than the FEM and FDM. By using BEM forward solver for time-domain DFT, we can simultaneously reconstruct both fluorescent yield and lifetime images. The results have demonstrated that the BEM is suitable for solving the forward problem of time-domain DFT.

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