Current Medical Imaging - Volume 8, Issue 3, 2012

Diffuse optical imaging (DOI) of the brain has emerged as a new neuroimaging technique that is seeing growing applications in brain research. The technique's simplicity, lower cost and applicability to children have contributed to its popularity. However, the translation of DOI to clinically relevant scenarios has lagged. Poor quantification of local hemodynamic changes based on optical signals remains a major hurdle and significant Read More

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can perform high-speed, micron-level high resolution imaging of tissue microstructures in vivo and in real time and can function as a type of optical biopsy to visualize the structural and functional alterations associated with various diseases. The advances in endoscopic OCT and optical coherence microscopy (OCM) provide an exciting avenue for many promising clinical applicatio Read More

The development and clinical application of a novel near-infrared diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) have been reviewed in this paper. DCS measures speckle fluctuations of near-infrared diffuse light in tissue, which are sensitive to the motions of red blood cells. DCS offers several new features which make it appealing for blood flow measurement such as noninvasiveness, high temporal resolution (up to 100 Hz), portabil Read More

The use of fluorescence detection for surgical applications has grown significantly over the last two decades through advances in fluorescent markers, instrumentation and data processing methods. Synergistic combinations of these developments have produced optical methods that provide biochemical, structural and functional information during surgical procedures. In this review, we focus on the surgical methods Read More

Progress with technology and regulatory approvals has recently allowed the successful clinical translation of fluorescence molecular imaging to intra-operative applications. Initial studies have demonstrated a promising outlook for imaging cancer micro-foci, margins and lymph-nodes. However, not all surgeries will benefit equally from fluorescence guidance. This review paper outlines the clinical necessity for improving Read More

Diffuse optical imaging (DOI) techniques provide a non-invasive, low cost and sensitive method for assessing the functional state of the human breast. Several studies undertaken in recent years with the objective of investigating the clinical applications of diffuse optical methods, demonstrate the potential of the technique for screening for breast cancer, associated risk factors and for monitoring the efficacy of th Read More