Simultaneous reconstruction of 3D fluorescence distribution and object surface using structured light illumination and dual-camera detection

Fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) serves as a noninvasive modality for visualizing volumetric fluorescence distribution within biological tissues, thereby proving to be an invaluable imaging tool for preclinical animal studies. The conventional FMT relies upon a point -by -point raster scan strategy, enhancing the dataset for subsequent reconstruction but concurrently elongating the data acquisition process. The resultant diminished temporal resolution has persistently posed a bottleneck, constraining its utility in dynamic imaging studies. We introduce a novel system capable of simultaneous FMT and surface extraction, which is attributed to the implementation of a rapid line scanning approach and dual -camera detection. The system performance was characterized through phantom experiments, while the influence of scanning line density on reconstruction outcomes has been systematically investigated via both simulation and experiments. In a proof -of -concept study, our approach successfully captures a moving fluorescence bolus in three dimensions with an elevated frame rate of approximately 2.5 seconds per frame, employing an optimized scan interval of 5 mm. The notable enhancement in the spatio-temporal resolution of FMT holds the potential to broaden its applications in dynamic imaging tasks, such as surgical navigation. (c) 2024 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement