title: Image overlay solution based on threshold detection for a compact near infrared fluorescence goggle system.
abstract: Near infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging has shown great potential for various clinical procedures, including intraoperative image guidance. However, existing NIR fluorescence imaging systems either have a large footprint or are handheld, which limits their usage in intraoperative applications. We present a compact NIR fluorescence imaging system (NFIS) with an image overlay solution based on threshold detection, which can be easily integrated with a goggle display system for intraoperative guidance. The proposed NFIS achieves compactness, light weight, hands-free operation, high-precision superimposition, and a real-time frame rate. In addition, the miniature and ultra-lightweight light-emitting diode tracking pod is easy to incorporate with NIR fluorescence imaging. Based on experimental evaluation, the proposed NFIS solution has a lower detection limit of 25 nM of indocyanine green at 27 fps and realizes a highly precise image overlay of NIR and visible images of mice in vivo. The overlay error is limited within a 2-mm scale at a 65-cm working distance, which is highly reliable for clinical study and surgical use.
authors.affiliation: Washington University in St. Louis, Computer Science and Engineering Department, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States.
authors.forename: Shengkui
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Radiology, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States.
authors.forename: Suman B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Mondal
authors.affiliation: University of Arizona, College of Optical Sciences, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: University of Arizona, College of Optical Sciences, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States.
authors.forename: RongGuang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Radiology, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States.
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Achilefu
authors.affiliation: Washington University in St. Louis, Computer Science and Engineering Department, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States.
authors.forename: Viktor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gruev
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D004867:Equipment Design; D005139:Eyeglasses; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D007208:Indocyanine Green; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D061848:Optical Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D012666:Semiconductors; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared / Q000295:instrumentation*; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D007208:Indocyanine Green