IEEE Photonics Journal (Jan 2021)
Enhance Fluorescence Imaging and Remove Motion Artifacts by Combining Pixel Tracking, Interleaved Acquisition, and Temporal Gating
Abstract
Fluorescence imaging has been applied to improving many medical sub-specialties. In a clinical setting, there are motions of the imaging system and patients, as well as a high ambient light background. This presents a challenge for widely using fluorescence imaging systems clinically. In this paper, we present a novel approach combining computer vision and pulsed imaging system for enhanced fluorescence Imaging and motion artifacts removal. Specifically, we use a dense optical flow point tracking regime in conjunction with pulsed fluorescence excitation and interleaved acquisition. The system was characterized with respect to fluorescent detection sensitivity, using a clinically relevant fluorescent environment, and the results were compared to conventional steady-state (DC) fluorescence imaging. We also characterized the system with respect to fluorescence detection accuracy. We demonstrated a 45-fold reduction of motion artifacts by combining pixel tracking and fluorescence pixel identification with pulsed light imaging. Furthermore, the fluorescence imaging signal-to-background ratio is also improved for more than 2-fold. Our results indicate that pixel tracking, temporal gating, and interleaved acquisition can improve fluorescence imaging, especially for uses in realistic clinical settings where there is a high ambient light background.
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