We present an imaging technique for the correction of geometrical effects in fluorescence measurement of optically thick, turbid media such as human tissue. Specifically, we use the cross-polarization method to reject specular reflection and enhance the diffusive backscattering of polarized fluorescence excitation light from the turbid media. We correct the nonuniformity of the image field caused by the excitation-and-collection geometry of a fluorescence imaging system by normalizing the fluorescence image to the cross-polarized reflection image. The ratio image provides a map of relative fluorescence yield, defined as the ratio of emerging fluorescence power to incident excitation, over the surface of an imaged homogeneous turbid medium when fluorescence excitation-and-collection geometries vary in a wide range. We investigate the mechanism of ratio imaging by using Monte Carlo modeling. Our findings show that this technique could have a potential use in the detection of early cancer, which usually starts from a superficial layer of tissue, based on the contrast in the tissue fluorescence of an early lesion and of the surrounding normal tissue.

© 2000 Optical Society of America

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Citation lists with outbound citation links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Article level metrics are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an OSA member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Log in to access OSA Member Subscription

Related Journal Articles

• Polarized wavelength-dependent measurements of turbid media (OE)
• Optical processing of light-induced autofluorescence for characterization of tissue pathology (OL)
• Fluorescence spectral imaging for characterization of tissue based on multivariate statistical analysis (JOSAA)
• Probing multifractality in tissue refractive index: prospects for precancer detection (OL)
• Spectrometer for fluorescence–reflection biomedical research (JOT)

Related Conference Papers

• Confocal autofluorescence spectroscopy of biological tissues
• Optical signals of the ovary
• Comprehensive Study of the Phenomenological Mechanisms Involved in Autofluorescence Bronchoscopy
• Elastic Scattering Spectroscopy for Detection of Sentinel Lymph Node Metastases in Breast Carcinoma
• In vivo Estimation of Total Hemoglobin Content and Hemoglobin Saturation in the Detection of Cervical Epithelial Pre-Cancers