title: Phase-contrast imaging of tissue using near-infrared diffusing light.
abstract: We describe a new model-based image reconstruction method that can extract the spatial variation of tissue refractive index with near-infrared diffusing light. The model of light propagation is a diffusion approximation to the radiative transfer equation for highly scattering media with spatially varying refractive index. The spatial map of refractive index is recovered using a finite element-based Newton-type reconstruction algorithm. The imaging method is validated using several tissue-like phantom experiments. Initial in vivo imaging of breast tissue is also presented, demonstrating the ability of this new imaging method for tumor detection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634-0978, USA. hjiang@clemson.edu
authors.forename: Huabei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D018226:Fibroadenoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008954:Models, Biological; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*