title: Comparison of simplified Monte Carlo simulation and diffusion approximation for the fluorescence signal from phantoms with typical mouse tissue optical properties.
abstract: A simplified approach is proposed to simulate the fluorescence signal from a fluorophore submerged inside a turbid medium using the Monte Carlo method. Based on the reversibility of photon propagation, the fluorescence signal can be obtained from a single Monte Carlo simulation of the excitation light. This is computationally less expensive and also allows for the direct use of well-validated nonfluorescence photon migration Monte Carlo codes. Fluorescence signals from a mouse tissuelike phantom were computed using both the simplified Monte Carlo simulation and the diffusion approximation. The relative difference of signal intensity was found to be at most 30% for a fluorophore placed in the medium at various depths and horizontally midway between a source-detector pair separated by 3 mm. The difference in time characteristics of the signal is also examined.
authors.affiliation: Advance Research Technologies, Incorporated (ART), Canada. gma@art.ca
authors.forename: Guobin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Delorme
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gallant
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Boas
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008954:Models, Biological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D009391:Nephelometry and Turbidimetry / Q000379:methods*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D012031:Refractometry / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D041622:Tomography, Optical / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*