Eliminating Stripe Artifacts in Light-Sheet Fluorescence Imaging

TL;DR

This paper introduces two cost-effective techniques, an image processing algorithm and a specialized diffuser, to effectively eliminate stripe artifacts in light-sheet fluorescence imaging, improving image clarity and data interpretation.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel combination of an image processing method and a physical diffuser to reduce stripe artifacts in light-sheet imaging, enhancing image quality and analysis accuracy.

Findings

MDSR effectively filters stripe artifacts from existing images.

EHD prevents stripe formation during image acquisition.

Techniques are simple, affordable, and improve imaging in dense samples.

Abstract

We report two techniques to mitigate stripe artifacts in light-sheet fluorescence imaging. The first uses an image processing algorithm called the multidirectional stripe remover (MDSR) method to filter stripes from an existing image. The second uses an elliptical holographic diffuser (EHD) with strong scattering anisotropy to prevent stripe formation during image acquisition. These techniques facilitate accurate interpretation of image data, especially in denser samples. They are also facile and cost-effective.