Improvements in frequency-domain based NIRF optical tomography modality for preclinical studies

Abstract

Herein we present recent improvements in system design and performance evaluation of near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) frequency-domain photon migration (FDPM) system developed for small animal fluorescence tomography and installed within a commercial micro-CT/PET scanner. We improved system performance by increasing signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) through use of high powered rf modulation, novel data collection scheme, and data discrimination based on the associated noise levels. Noise characteristics show improvement with these techniques and are currently being employed to improve 3-D fluorescence for tomographic reconstructions in phantoms before incorporating into hybrid scanner.