Concurrent MR-NIR Imaging for Breast Cancer Diagnosis; Annual rept. 1 Jun 2007-31 May 2008

摘要

The primary objective of this research program is to investigate concurrent near infrared (NIR) optical and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for breast cancer diagnosis. The NIR diffuse optical imaging offers novel criteria for cancer differentiation with the ability to measure (in vivo) oxygenation and vascularization state, the uptake and release of contrast agents and chromophore concentrations with high sensitivity. However, NIR diffuse optical tomography is inherently a low spatial resolution imaging modality due to diffuse nature of light photons. Alternatively, MRI provides high spatial resolution with excellent tissue discrimination, but has limited ability to monitor hemoglobin dynamics and other contrast mechanisms that optical imaging provides. Therefore, concurrent MRI-NIR optical imaging brings together the most advantageous aspects of the two imaging modalities for breast cancer diagnosis.