Theoretical Analysis of Cancer Detection in the Human Breast by Transillumination.
Abstract
This investigation is a theoretical analysis of the propagation of near infrared light through human breast tissue with a view to improving imaging of breast cancers by transillumination. The analysis employed multiple scattering and radiation transport theory. Calculation showed that breast tissue is optically thick and does not allow for imaging details of tumors which may be imbedded in the tissue. An example calculation carried out on the method of phase retrieval demonstrated that the error in the estimate of the Fourier modulus is, for normal breast tissue, nearly 100 percent and that, therefore, the phase of an object (tumor) cannot be retrieved by this method. A Monte Carlo simulation employing time gating and spatial filtering (TGSF) was presented showing that, in some cases, an improvement in image contrast of 77 percent is theoretically possible when transilluminating a dilute blood medium containing a blood vessel. A calculation of total transmittance obtained by Monte Carlo simulation on one hand and by multiple scattering and radiation transport theory on the other hand, indicated an essential agreement of the results for tissue thicknesses less than 60mm. A method of typing the results of Monte Carlo simulation to those of multiple scattering and radiation transport is presented. An effective optical thickness reduced by TGSF is defined and a method is described to determine if the reduced effective thickness allows for reasonable images to be obtained.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA189850
Entities
People
- David W. Sanders
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology