Optical images from pathophysiological signals within breast tissue

Near Infrared (NIR) tomography has the potential for characterization of different tissue types based upon cellular and vascular alternations. This is especially useful for characterizing cancerous regions within normal tissue. Reconstructed images from NIR light propagation measurements through the female breast hold promise of providing clinically useful information about the pathophysiologic change of the tissue. We have developed a fast three-dimensional finite element model and image reconstruction algorithm, NIRFAST and have previously tested the results extensively against simulated and phantom data. The results have shown that the reconstructed images have good accuracy in recovering optical changes within the medium under investigation, and that with appropriate constraints, the calculated quantitative values agree well with the true values. Based on these algorithms, we present true three-dimensional images of the breast, from patient data. These images, which are reconstructed using NIR measurements over a range of wavelengths, provide additional information regarding the blood content and oxygen saturation distribution within the breast.