Abstract. Hand-held optical imagers are developed by various researchers towards reflectance-based spectroscopic imaging of breast cancer. Recently, a Gen-1 handheld optical imager was developed with capabilities to perform two-dimensional (2-D) spectroscopic as well as three-dimensional (3-D) tomographic imaging studies. However, the imager was bulky with poor surface contact (∼30%) along curved tissues, and limited sensitivity to detect targets consistently. Herein, a Gen-2 hand-held optical imager that overcame the above limitations of the Gen-1 imager has been developed and the instrumentation described. The Gen-2 hand-held imager is less bulky, portable, and has improved surface contact (∼86%) on curved tissues. Additionally, the forked probe head design is capable of simultaneous bilateral reflectance imaging of both breast tissues, and also transillumination imaging of a single breast tissue. Experimental studies were performed on tissue phantoms to demonstrate the improved sensitivity in detecting targets using the Gen-2 imager. The improved instrumentation of the Gen-2 imager allowed detection of targets independent of their location with respect to the illumination points, unlike in Gen-1 imager. The developed imager has potential for future clinical breast imaging with enhanced sensitivity, via both reflectance and transillumination imaging.
Diffuse optical imaging using non-ionizing radiation is a non-invasive method that shows promise towards breast cancer diagnosis. Hand-held optical imagers show potential for clinical translation of the technology, yet they have not been used towards 3D tomography. Herein, 3D tomography of human breast tissue in vivo is demonstrated for the first time using a hand-held optical imager with automated coregistration facilities. Simulation studies are performed on breast geometries to demonstrate the feasibility of 3D tomographic imaging using a hand-held imager under perfect (1:0) and imperfect (100:1, 50:1) fluorescence absorption contrast ratios. Experimental studies are performed in vivo using a 1 μM ICG filled phantom target placed non-invasively underneath the flap of the breast tissue. Results show the ability to perform automated tracking and coregistered imaging of human breast tissue (with tracking accuracy on the order of ~1 cm). Three-dimensional tomography results demonstrated the ability to recover a single target placed at a depth of 2.5 cm, from both the simulated (at 1:0, 100:1 and 50:1 contrasts) and experimental cases on actual breast tissues. Ongoing efforts to improve target depth recovery are carried out via implementation of transmittance imaging in the hand-held imager.
A hand-held optical imaging device has been developed in our laboratory towards fast 2D imaging and 3D tomography for breast cancer diagnosis. The device has the unique abilities: (1) to contour to different tissue curvatures using a flexible probe face; (2) perform fast 2D imaging by employing simultaneous over sequential source illumination; and (3) self coregistration towards (future) 3D tomography. The objective of the current work is to demonstrate fast coregistered 2D imaging on breast tissue of healthy female subjects. Fluorescence imaging experiments are performed in vitro and in vivo to demonstrate coregistered imaging as well as the ability to detect deep targets from multiple surface scans. A 0.45 cc spherical target filled with 1 µM indocyanine green is embedded at various depths of a cubical phantom filled with chicken breast (in vitro models). For in vivo studies, the fluorescent target is placed under the flap of the breast tissue to represent a tumor for fluorescence imaging. Multiple scans (fast continuous-wave images of fluorescence intensity) are collected and coregistered at different locations on the breast tissue. This study demonstrates the potential of the hand-held optical device towards future in vivo surface imaging and tomographic imaging for 3D tumor localization.
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