Optimal probe design for breast imaging using near-infrared diffused light.
Shallow lesions less than 1.5-cm deep are frequently seen in breast patients when they are scanned in reflection geometry. Two boundary conditions are compared for imaging shallow lesions, and a new probe design is introduced. A partial reflection boundary condition is suitable for imaging shallow lesions less than 1.0-cm deep; whereas an absorption boundary condition is desirable for imaging lesions more than 1.5-cm deep. Our new probe design incorporates either a partial reflection boundary or an absorption boundary based on a priori knowledge of lesion depth provided by coregistered real-time ultrasound images. An angled source is introduced to further improve the illumination of the region between 1.0- to 1.5-cm depths. Simulation, phantom, and freshly excised mouse tumor experiments demonstrate that targets located at different depths can be uniformly reconstructed. A clinical example is given to demonstrate the utility of this new approach for optimally probing lesions located at different depths.
Xu
Chen
C
University of Connecticut, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA.
Yuan
Baohong
B
Zhu
Quing
Q
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007259:Infrared Rays; D008027:Light; D011786:Quality Control; D012031:Refractometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared / Q000295:instrumentation*; D041622:Tomography, Optical / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D014159:Transducers