A Dual-Modality Imaging Method Based on Polarimetry and Second Harmonic Generation for Characterization and Evaluation of Skin Tissue Structures

Abstract

The characterization and evaluation of skin tissue structures are crucial for dermatological applications. Recently, Mueller matrix polarimetry and second harmonic generation microscopy have been widely used in skin tissue imaging due to their unique advantages. However, the features of layered skin tissue structures are too complicated to use a single imaging modality for achieving a comprehensive evaluation. In this study, we propose a dual-modality imaging method combining Mueller matrix polarimetry and second harmonic generation microscopy for quantitative characterization of skin tissue structures. It is demonstrated that the dual-modality method can well divide the mouse tail skin tissue specimens’ images into three layers of stratum corneum, epidermis, and dermis. Then, to quantitatively analyze the structural features of different skin layers, the gray level co-occurrence matrix is adopted to provide various evaluating parameters after the image segmentations. Finally, to quantitatively measure the structural differences between damaged and normal skin areas, an index named Q-Health is defined based on cosine similarity and the gray-level co-occurrence matrix parameters of imaging results. The experiments confirm the effectiveness of the dual-modality imaging parameters for skin tissue structure discrimination and assessment. It shows the potential of the proposed method for dermatological practices and lays the foundation for further, in-depth evaluation of the health status of human skin.

A dual-modality imaging method based on polarimetry and second harmonic generation

“…For SHG imaging, a dichroic mirror, a custom filter set (BP:414/46, DC:495, BP:525/50), and a 20×water immersion objective are employed. Figure 2(e) displays the SHG image of the tissue sample [13].…”

“…Mueller matrix polarimetry is characterized by high information content, not requiring staining or labeling, and being sensitive to subcellular microstructures [7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. It can also provide additional sample structural information by integrating with existing optical systems such as microscopes [14].…”

Influence of hematoxylin and eosin staining on linear birefringence measurement of fibrous tissue structures in polarization microscopy

“…12 For microscopic polarization imaging of thin tissue slices, linear birefringence is a valuable and prevalently used metric for anisotropic structures characterization. [13][14][15] For instance, Wood et al 16 demonstrated that linear birefringence can be adopted for in vivo tissue fiber characterization. Furthermore, Pierangelo et al 17 showed that the reducing of linear birefringence resulting from the breaking down of well-ordered fibrous structures can be used for cervical cancer identification.…”

Multispectral polarization microscopy of different stages of human oral tissue: A polarization study

“…Although the use of a single-shot Mueller polarimeter can reduce the number of measurements, the system becomes very costly [34][35][36]. In the present manuscript, we introduce a novel approach: multispectral Stokes imaging, which only requires six intensity measurements.…”

“…However, traditional Mueller matrix imaging requires a large number of intensity measurements, specifically 24 measurements, which are time‐consuming and require complex optical setups and their alignment. Although the use of a single‐shot Mueller polarimeter can reduce the number of measurements, the system becomes very costly [34–36]. In the present manuscript, we introduce a novel approach: multispectral Stokes imaging, which only requires six intensity measurements.…”