Effective optode configuration for the image reconstruction in diffuse optical tomography

Abstract

The influence of the configuration of the optodes on the images of diffuse optical tomography (DOT) was investigated using 3D numerical simulations. 3D distributions of the absorption coefficients in a spherical object were reconstructed from the numerically simulated measurement data for various configurations of the optodes. When the optodes were placed in a plane containing a target which strongly absorbs light, the target could be reconstructed with good localization. For good reconstruction of the target, it was found to be very important that the optode configuration was optimized in order to detect light propagating through the target effectively. The simulations also showed that the optode configuration affects the quality of the reconstructed images and that some prior information about the measured object improved the DOT images. Finally the simulation results were verified by a phantom experiment.