Polarisation optics for biomedical and clinical applications: a review

TL;DR

This review summarizes the use of polarization optics, especially tissue polarimetry with the Stokes-Mueller formalism, highlighting recent advances, trends, and multi-modal applications in biomedical and clinical research.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of methodologies, applications, and recent developments in polarization-based biomedical optics, emphasizing tissue polarimetry and vector measurement techniques.

Findings

Summarizes recent breakthroughs in polarization techniques.

Highlights development trends and multi-modal applications.

Provides an overview of vectorial information use in biomedical research.

Abstract

Many polarisation techniques have been harnessed for decades in biological and clinical research, each based upon measurement of the vectorial properties of light or the vectorial transformations imposed on light by objects. Various advanced vector measurement/sensing techniques, physical interpretation methods, and approaches to analyse biomedically relevant information have been developed and harnessed. In this review, we focus mainly on summarizing methodologies and applications related to tissue polarimetry, with an emphasis on the adoption of the Stokes-Mueller formalism. Several recent breakthroughs, development trends, and potential multi-modal uses in conjunction with other techniques are also presented. The primary goal of the review is to give the reader a general overview in the use of vectorial information that can be obtained by polarisation optics for applications in biomedical and clinical research.