title: Quantitative diffuse optical tomography for small animals using an ultrafast gated image intensifier.
abstract: The quantitative accuracy of fluorescence and bioluminescence imaging of small animals can be improved by knowledge of the in situ optical properties of each animal. Obtaining in situ optical property maps is challenging, however, due to short propagation distances, requirements for high dynamic range, and the need for dense spatial, temporal, and spectral sampling. Using an ultrafast gated image intensifier and a pulsed laser source, we have developed a small animal diffuse optical tomography system with multiple synthetic modulation frequencies up to >1 GHz. We show that amplitude and phase measurements with useful contrast-to-noise ratios can be obtained for modulation frequencies over the range of approximately 250 to 1250 MHz. Experiments with tissue simulating phantoms demonstrate the feasibility of reconstructing the absorption and scattering optical properties in a small animal imaging system.
authors.affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
authors.forename: Sachin V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Patwardhan
authors.forename: Joseph P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Culver
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D051379:Mice; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D041622:Tomography, Optical / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*