Low coherence enhanced backscattering tomography and techniques

摘要

A low coherence enhanced backscattering tomography (LEBT) method is disclosed for depth-selective sensing of the superficial layer of tissue. 3D images of the microarchitecture and molecular conformation of the superficial layer of tissue are obtained. The method combines the high resolution advantage of low coherence light and the high sensitivity advantage of light scattering to tissue structure and composition. Intact tissue can be examined without the need of excision or processing. The method can be applied in in situ measurements. According to the method, 3D images of the nuclear morphology and cellular structure for the superficial layer of the tissue are generated; this is particularly useful in detecting cancer and precancer at the earliest stage of carcinogenesis.

主权项

1. A method for noninvasive imaging of tissue, comprising the steps of:
illuminating a location on a surface of the tissue using an incident beam of light characterized by a spatial coherence length Lc; detecting light backscattered from the tissue, the backscattered light characterized by a scattering angle θ; obtaining spectra from the detected light, each of said spectra characterized by light intensity versus light wavelength λ for a given scattering angle θ at said coherence length Lc; extracting information regarding both cellular architecture and nuclear morphology of cells in the tissue from the spectra, in accordance with different scattering models for different ranges of scattering angles; and constructing a three-dimensional (3D) image of both cellular architecture and nuclear morphology of the cells in the tissue.