A Time Domain Noncontact Fluorescence Tomography System for Breast Cancer Diagnosis

A time domain noncontact fluorescence tomography system and the corresponding reconstruction algorithm towards the early diagnosis of breast cancer are developed. The time domain system based on the time-correlated single photon counting technique is adopted to provide both the high sensitivity in detection and good capability in multi-parameter reconstruction. Comparing to the conventional contact measurement mode, the noncontact system with light scanning can provide more measurement data for improving the spatial resolution of the images. The performance and efficacy of the system is evaluated with measurements on solid phantoms. For the phantom with single fluorescent target, the fluorescence yield and lifetime were simultaneously reconstructed with good quality. For the phantom with two fluorescent targets, the targets with the center-to-center separation of 20mm and the edge separation of 15mm can be distinguished. Measurements also show that the reconstructed yields are linear to the concentration of the fluorescence dye. The results demonstrated the potential of the system in the in vivo diagnosis of the early breast cancer.