Fundamental imaging properties of transillumination laser CT using optical fiber applicable to bio-medical sensing

We proposed and developed a novel transillumination laser CT imaging system, using optical fibers, based on the optical heterodyne detection method for biomedical use. The use of optical fibers enables portability and robustness against environmental changes such as varying temperature, air-flow shifts, and unexpected vibrations. In addition, motion-artifact-free images can be obtained with the present system as measurements can be performed with the object fixed. We experimentally investigate in detail the fundamental imaging properties of the system, that has a spatial resolution of 500 /spl mu/m, a dynamic range of approximately 110 dB, and a minimum-detectable-optical power of 10/sup -14/ W as a result of the excellent properties of the heterodyne detection. Based on experimental observations, the proposed system can reconstruct tomographic images of highly scattering objects in the transillumination mode, similar to X-ray CT, at sub-millimeter spatial resolution and can derive quantitative information from the images. Finally, we experimentally demonstrate the first in-situ tomographic images of plants using the fiber-optic-based laser CT system.

[1]  J J Snyder.  Wide dynamic range optical power measurement using coherent heterodyne radiometry. , 1988, Applied optics.

[2]  B. Bouma,et al.  Handbook of Optical Coherence Tomography , 2001 .

[3]  Mark C. W. van Rossum,et al.  OSA Proceedings on Advances in Optical Imaging and Photon Migration , 1994 .

[4]  Siavash Yazdanfar,et al.  Real-time, high velocity-resolution color Doppler optical coherence tomography. , 2002, Optics letters.

[5]  Avinash C. Kak,et al.  Principles of computerized tomographic imaging , 2001, Classics in applied mathematics.

[6]  J. Ripoll,et al.  Fast analytical approximation for arbitrary geometries in diffuse optical tomography. , 2002, Optics letters.

[7]  Humio Inaba,et al.  Photonic sensing technology is opening new frontiers in biophotonics , 1997 .

[8]  Humio Inada.  Coherent detection imaging for medical laser tomography , 1993, Other Conferences.

[9]  Peter J. Brands,et al.  Measurement of the Contrast Agent Intrinsic and Native Harmonic Response with Single Transducer Pulse Waved Ultrasound Systems , 1999, Annals of Biomedical Engineering.

[10]  J. Mourant,et al.  Polarized wavelength-dependent measurements of turbid media. , 1999, Optics express.

[11]  V. Tuchin.  Tissue Optics: Light Scattering Methods and Instruments for Medical Diagnosis , 2000 .

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

[13]  O Dorn,et al.  Scattering and absorption transport sensitivity functions for optical tomography. , 2000, Optics express.

[14]  Tetsuya Yuasa,et al.  A Novel Application of Coherent Detection Imaging Method for Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Near Infrared Region , 1998 .

[15]  N de Jong,et al.  Ultrasound contrast imaging: current and new potential methods. , 2000, Ultrasound in medicine & biology.

[16]  Tetsuya Yuasa,et al.  In vivo laser computed tomographic imaging of human fingers by coherent detection imaging method using different wavelengths in near infrared region , 1996 .

[17]  A. Siegman,et al.  The antenna properties of optical heterodyne receivers. , 1966, Applied optics.

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

[19]  T. Khan,et al.  Absorption and scattering images of heterogeneous scattering media can be simultaneously reconstructed by use of dc data. , 2002, Applied optics.

[20]  Humio Inaba,et al.  Optical computer-assisted tomography realized by coherent detection imaging incorporating laser heterodyne method for biomedical applications , 1991, Other Conferences.

[21]  Brett E Bouma,et al.  Clinical imaging with optical coherence tomography. , 2002, Academic radiology.

[22]  Takao Akatsuka,et al.  Recent advances in coherent detection imaging (CDI) in biomedicine: laser tomography of human tissues in vivo and in vitro , 1996 .

[23]  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.

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

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

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