Terahertz pulsed imaging in vivo: measurements and processing methods

J. Biomed. Opt. 16, 106010 (Oct 03, 2011); doi:10.1117/1.3642002

Edward P. J. Parrott, Stanley M. Y. Sy, and Thierry Blu

Chinese University of Hong Kong, Department of Electronic Engineering, Shatin, Hong Kong

Vincent P. Wallace

University of Western Australia, School of Physics, Perth, WA 6009, Australia

Emma Pickwell-MacPherson

The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Electronic and Computer Engineering, Clearwater Bay, Hong Kong

This paper presents a number of data processing algorithms developed to improve the accuracy of results derived from datasets acquired by a recently designed terahertz handheld probe. These techniques include a baseline subtraction algorithm and a number of algorithms to extract the sample impulse response: double Gaussian inverse filtering, frequency-wavelet domain deconvolution, and sparse deconvolution. In vivo measurements of human skin are used as examples, and a comparison is made of the terahertz impulse response from a number of different skin positions. The algorithms presented enables both the spectroscopic and time domain properties of samples measured in reflection geometry to be better determined compared to previous calculation methods.




Note from the editor:
The hand-held probe that was used in the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is designed by TeraView Ltd, just another demonstration of TeraView's worldwide install base!


....As a result, in vivo imaging is performed in reflection geometry. Since skin is the most easily
accessible organ of the body, we have been using it to conduct in vivo experiments with
a handheld probe designed by Teraview Ltd (Cambridge, UK). ...


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