title: Non-contact time-resolved diffuse reflectance imaging at null source-detector separation.
abstract: We report results of the proof-of-principle tests of a novel non-contact tissue imaging system. The system utilizes a quasi-null source-detector separation approach for time-domain near-infrared spectroscopy, taking advantage of an innovative state-of-the-art fast-gated single photon counting detector. Measurements on phantoms demonstrate the feasibility of the non-contact approach for the detection of optically absorbing perturbations buried up to a few centimeters beneath the surface of a tissue-like turbid medium. The measured depth sensitivity and spatial resolution of the new system are close to the values predicted by Monte Carlo simulations for the inhomogeneous medium and an ideal fast-gated detector, thus proving the feasibility of the non-contact approach for high density diffuse reflectance measurements on tissue. Potential applications of the system are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Abbestr. 2-12, 10587, Berlin, Germany. mikhail.mazurenka@ptb.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazurenka
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jelzow
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wabnitz
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Contini
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Spinelli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pifferi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cubeddu
authors.forename: A Dalla
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Mora
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tosi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zappa
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Macdonald
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008853:Microscopy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009391:Nephelometry and Turbidimetry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010783:Photometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity