Anthropomorphic Polydimethylsiloxane silicone-based phantom for Diffuse Optical Imaging.

This work presents a method for constructing phantoms suitable for diffuse optical mammography. They are based on Polydimethylsiloxane silicones, with the characteristic of being anthropomorphic, and having similar mechanical and optical properties as a real breast. These phantoms are useful for testing the performance of diffuse optical imaging devices in the near infrared, both in transmittance and reflectance geometries, since they can be constructed containing inclusions, to simulate breast tumors. An alternative component to be used as scattering agent, that is easier to handle than traditional scattering agents, is also studied. The optical properties of the phantoms were tested varying the concentration of scattering and absorbing agents, while their mechanical properties were modified by adding a silicone fluid to the basic mixture. Finally, the phantoms were tested by Diffuse Optical Imaging experiments, and these images were compared to the ones obtained by conventional ultrasound techniques. Results show that the constructed anthropomorphic phantoms properly reproduce the optical and mechanical characteristics of human breasts, and are suitable to be used in Diffuse Optical Imaging.

Camera-based CW Diffuse Optical Tomography for obtaining 3D absorption maps by means of digital tomosynthesis.

We present a novel method for obtaining a 3D absorption map of a tissue-like turbid slab in the near-infrared spectral range by tomosynthesis. Transmittance data are obtained for a large number of oblique projection directions by scanning a cw laser source across the surface of the slab and by using a CCD camera for spatially resolved light detection. A perturbation model of light transport is used to convert the intensity maps for the different projections into absorption maps. By applying the tomosynthesis approach to these new maps, 3D absorption information on embedded inclusions has been obtained for the first time. The number and the positions of the lateral offset detectors have been optimized by employing a structural similarity index for comparison of the reconstructed with the true absorption data. We present 3D reconstruction of absorption maps using both Monte Carlo simulations and experiments on phantoms with breast-like optical properties. A comparison with conventional 3D reconstruction by a finite element approach shows the superior location performance of tomosynthesis.

Diffuse reflectance optical topography: location of inclusions in 3D and detectability limits.

In the present contribution we investigate the images of CW diffusely reflected light for a point-like source, registered by a CCD camera imaging a turbid medium containing an absorbing lesion. We show that detection of µa variations (absorption anomalies) is achieved if images are normalized to background intensity. A theoretical analysis based on the diffusion approximation is presented to investigate the sensitivity and the limitations of our proposal and a novel procedure to find the location of the inclusions in 3D is given and tested. An analysis of the noise and its influence on the detection capabilities of our proposal is provided. Experimental results on phantoms are also given, supporting the proposed approach.

Speckle interferometry applied to pharmacodynamic studies: evaluation of parasite motility.

The work reported here describes the application of the optical technique known as dynamic speckle interferometry to evaluate the motility of nematode parasites exposed to different anthelmintic drugs. This technique, a well proven tool for assessing the time evolution of different phenomena, is here successfully used to quantify parasite motility in pharmacodynamic assays. The characterization of the pharmacological properties of anthelmintic drugs is critical to optimize their use in parasite control. Besides, the evaluation of nematode motility is a relevant indicator of the pharmacodynamic effect of anthelmintic drugs. The application of this approach to study the motility of Haemonchus contortus (used as a model of nematode parasites) larvae exposed to different drugs is presented, showing its usefulness.