Speckle illumination SFDI for projector-free optical property mapping

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel speckle illumination method for spatial frequency domain imaging that enables projector-free, wide-field optical property mapping using simple laser diodes, expanding potential clinical applications.

Contribution

It demonstrates that random speckle patterns can replace structured illumination for quantitative tissue optical property mapping, simplifying the setup and broadening application possibilities.

Findings

Accurately estimates absorption and scattering in tissue phantoms and biological tissues.

Uses simple laser diode illumination to generate speckle patterns over large depths.

Enables potential for endoscopic optical property mapping.

Abstract

Spatial Frequency Domain Imaging can map tissue scattering and absorption properties over a wide field of view, making it useful for clinical applications such as wound assessment and surgical guidance. This technique has previously required the projection of fully-characterized illumination patterns. Here, we show that random and unknown speckle illumination can be used to sample the modulation transfer function of tissues at known spatial frequencies, allowing the quantitative mapping of optical properties with simple laser diode illumination. We compute low- and high-spatial frequency response parameters from the local power spectral density for each pixel and use a look-up-table to accurately estimate absorption and scattering coefficients in tissue phantoms, in vivo human hand, and ex vivo swine esophagus. Because speckle patterns can be generated over a large depth of field and field of view with simple coherent illumination, this approach may enable optical property mapping in new form-factors and applications, including endoscopy.