Multi simulation platform for time domain diffuse optical tomography: An application to a compact hand-held reflectance probe

Time Domain Diffuse Optical Tomography (TD-DOT) enables a full 3D reconstruction of the optical properties of tissue, and could be used for non-invasive and cost-effective in-depth body exploration (e.g., thyroid and breast imaging). Performance quantification is crucial for comparing results coming from different implementations of this technique. A general-purpose simulation platform for TD-DOT clinical systems was developed with a focus on performance assessment through meaningful figures of merit. The platform was employed for assessing the feasibility and characterizing a compact hand-held probe for breast imaging and characterization in reflectance geometry. Important parameters such as hardware gating of the detector, photon count rate and inclusion position were investigated. Results indicate a reduced error (< 10%) on the absorption coefficient quantification of a simulated inclusion up to 2-cm depth if a photon count rate >= 10 counts per second is used along with a good localization (error < 1 mm down to 25 mm-depth).