Title
Concurrent Reflectance Confocal Microscopy and Laser Doppler Flowmetry to Improve Skin Cancer Imaging: A Monte Carlo Model and Experimental Validation.
Abstract
Optical interrogation of suspicious skin lesions is standard care in the management of skin cancer worldwide. Morphological and functional markers of malignancy are often combined to improve expert human diagnostic power. We propose the evaluation of the combination of two independent optical biomarkers of skin tumours concurrently. The morphological modality of reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is combined with the functional modality of laser Doppler flowmetry, which is capable of quantifying tissue perfusion. To realize the idea, we propose laser feedback interferometry as an implementation of RCM, which is able to detect the Doppler signal in addition to the confocal reflectance signal. Based on the proposed technique, we study numerical models of skin tissue incorporating two optical biomarkers of malignancy: (i) abnormal red blood cell velocities and concentrations and (ii) anomalous optical properties manifested through tissue confocal reflectance, using Monte Carlo simulation. We also conduct a laboratory experiment on a microfluidic channel containing a dynamic turbid medium, to validate the efficacy of the technique. We quantify the performance of the technique by examining a signal to background ratio (SBR) in both the numerical and experimental models, and it is shown that both simulated and experimental SBRs improve consistently using this technique. This work indicates the feasibility of an optical instrument, which may have a role in enhanced imaging of skin malignancies.
Year
DOI
Venue
2016
10.3390/s16091411
SENSORS
Keywords
Field
DocType
skin cancer detection,Monte Carlo modelling,laser feedback interferometry,reflectance confocal microscopy,laser Doppler flowmetry
Optical instrument,Biomedical engineering,Analytical chemistry,Monte Carlo method,Laser Doppler velocimetry,Medical imaging,Optics,Laser,Interferometry,Confocal,Engineering,Doppler effect
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
16
9.0
1424-8220
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
0
0.34
2
Authors
8
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Alireza Mowla100.34
Thomas Taimre210.92
Yah Leng Lim310.92
Karl Bertling410.92
Stephen J Wilson500.34
Tarl W Prow631.21
H Peter Soyer700.34
Aleksandar D Rakić810.92