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Charge‐coupled‐device based scanner for tomography of fluorescent near‐infrared probes in turbid media
Author(s) -
Ntziachristos Vasilis,
Weissleder Ralph
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1118/1.1470209
Subject(s) - scanner , fluorescence , optics , charge coupled device , optical tomography , tomography , infrared , materials science , near infrared spectroscopy , medical imaging , optoelectronics , physics , medicine , radiology
We present a novel tomographer for three‐dimensional reconstructions of fluorochromes in diffuse media. Photon detection is based on charge‐coupled device technology that allows the implementation of a large parallel array of detection channels with high sensitivity. Using this instrument we studied the response and detection limits of near‐infrared fluorochromes in diffuse media as a function of light intensity and for a wide range of biologically relevant concentrations. We further examined the resolution of the scanner and the reconstruction linearity achieved. We demonstrate that the instrument attains better than 3 mm resolution, is linear within more than two orders of magnitude of fluorochrome concentration, and can detect fluorescent objects at femto‐mole quantities in small animal‐like geometries. These measurements delineate detection and reconstruction characteristics associated with imaging of novel classes of fluorescent probes developed for in vivo molecular and functional probing of tissues.