Depth-resolved imaging of photosensitizer in the rodent brain using fluorescence laminar optical tomography.
SIGNIFICANCE
Previous studies have been performed to image photosensitizers in certain organs and tumors using fluorescence laminar optical tomography. Currently, no work has yet been published to quantitatively compare the signal compensation of fluorescence laminar optical tomography with two-dimensional (2-D) imaging in tissues.


AIM
The purpose of this study is to quantify the benefit that fluorescence laminar optical tomography holds over 2-D imaging. We compared fluorescence laminar optical tomography with maximum intensity projection imaging to simulate 2-D imaging, as this would be the most similar and stringent comparison.


APPROACH
A capillary filled with a photosensitizer was placed in a phantom and ex vivo rodent brains, with fluorescence laminar optical tomography and maximum intensity projection images obtained. The signal loss in the Z direction was quantified and compared to see which methodology could compensate better for signal loss caused by tissue attenuation.


RESULTS
The results demonstrated that we can reconstruct a capillary filled with benzoporphyrin derivative photosensitizers faithfully in phantoms and in ex vivo rodent brain tissues using fluorescence laminar optical tomography. We further demonstrated that we can better compensate for signal loss when compared with maximum intensity projection imaging.


CONCLUSIONS
Using fluorescence laminar optical tomography (FLOT), one can compensate for signal loss in deeper parts of tissue when imaging in ex vivo rodent brain tissue compared with maximum intensity projection imaging.
['Gaitan|Brandon|B|', 'Inglut|Collin T|CT|', 'Liu|Yi|Y|', 'Chen|Yu|Y|', 'Huang|Huang-Chiao|HC|']
D000818:Animals D001921:Brain D019047:Phantoms, Imaging D017319:Photosensitizing Agents D012377:Rodentia D041622:Tomography, Optical
photosensitizer fluorescence laminar optical tomography signal compensation image reconstruction