Tatiana A. Savelieva

Scattered and Fluorescent Photon Track Reconstruction in a Biological Tissue

Appropriate analysis of biological tissue deep regions is important for tumor targeting. This paper is concentrated on photons’ paths analysis in such biotissue as brain, because optical probing depth of fluorescent and excitation radiation differs. A method for photon track reconstruction was developed. Images were captured focusing on the transparent wall close and parallel to the source fibres, placed in brain tissue phantoms. The images were processed to reconstruct the photons most probable paths between two fibres. Results were compared with Monte Carlo simulations and diffusion approximation of the radiative transfer equation. It was shown that the excitation radiation optical probing depth is twice more than for the fluorescent photons. The way of fluorescent radiation spreading was discussed. Because of fluorescent and excitation radiation spreads in different ways, and the effective anisotropy factor, , was proposed for fluorescent radiation. For the brain tissue phantoms it were found to be and for the irradiation wavelengths 532 nm and 632.8 nm, respectively. These calculations give more accurate information about the tumor location in biotissue. Reconstruction of photon paths allows fluorescent and excitation probing depths determination. The can be used as simplified parameter for calculations of fluorescence probing depth.

A spectroscopic method for simultaneous determination of protoporphyrin IX and hemoglobin in the nerve tissues at intraoperative diagnosis

A combined method of spectroscopic analysis of biochemical and structural markers of tumor changes, including blood volume, hemoglobin oxygen saturation, protoporphyrin IX accumulation, and change in the scattering properties, was developed on the basis of the results of simulation modeling of light propagation in media with optical properties similar to those of biotissues. The method was verified on a series of optical phantoms and applied in a clinical setting for intraoperative navigation with the aim of demarcation of glioblastoma multiforme borders. It was shown that the method developed is superior in sensitivity and specificity to the method of video-fluorescent visualization with a Carl Zeiss OPMI Pentero microscope and can be used for demarcation of the borders of tumors exhibiting infiltrative growth.

The method of intraoperative analysis of structural and metabolic changes in the area of tumor resection

The method of intraoperative analysis of tumor markers such as structural changes, concentrations of 5- ALA induced protoporphyrin IX and hemoglobin in the area of tissue resection was developed. A device for performing this method is a neurosurgical aspiration cannulae coupled with the fiber optic probe. The configuration of fibers at the end of cannulae was developed according to the results of numerical modeling of light distribution in biological tissues. The optimal distance between the illuminating and receiving fiber was found for biologically relevant interval of optical properties. On this particular distance the detected diffuse reflectance depends on scattering coefficient almost linearly. Array of optical phantoms containing hemoglobin, protoporphyrin IX and fat emulsion (as scattering media) in various concentrations was prepared to verify the method. The recovery of hemoglobin and protoporphyrin IX concentrations in the scattering media with an error less than 10% has been demonstrated. The fat emulsion concentration estimation accuracy was less than 12%. The first clinical test was carried out during glioblastoma multiforme resection in Burdenko Neurosurgery Institute and confirmed that sensitivity of this method is enough to detect investigated tumor markers in vivo. This method will allow intraoperative analysis of the structural and metabolical tumor markers directly in the zone of destruction of tumor tissue, thereby increasing the degree of radical removal and preservation of healthy tissue.

Numerical modelling and in vivo analysis of fluorescent and laser light backscattered from glial brain tumors

Brain glial tumors have peculiar features of the perifocal region extension, characterized by its indistinct area, which complicates determination of the borders for tissue resection. In the present study filter-reduced back-scattered laser light signals, compared to the data from mathematical modeling, were used for description of the brain white matter. The simulations of the scattered light distributions were performed in a Monte Carlo program using scattering and absorption parameters of the different grades of the brain glial tumors. The parameters were obtained by the Mie calculations for three main types of scatterers: myelinated axon fibers, cell nuclei and mitochondria. It was revealed that diffuse-reflected light, measured at the perifocal areas of the glial brain tumors, shows a significant difference relative to the signal, measured at the normal tissue, which signifies the possibility to provide diagnostically useful information on the tissue state, and to determine the borders of the tumor, thus to reduce the recurrence appearance. Differences in the values of ratios of diffuse reflectance from active growth parts of tumors and normal white matter can be useful for determination of the degree of tumor progress during the spectroscopic analysis.

System for determining the concentration and visualization of the spatial distribution of photosensitizers based on tetrapyrrole compounds in the tissues of the human ocular fundus

We developed a system for the analysis of the spatial distribution of photosensitizers (PS) based on tetrapyrrole compounds in the tissues of the retina. Tetrapyrrole compounds were chosen because the most of them are characterized by strong absorption in the tissue transparency window. Calibration curves for determining the concentration of PS by different methods were constructed. Registration system of PS’s fluorescence consists of two optical channels. First channel based on single point spectroscopic technique is used to determine exact concentration of PS at a certain point of the field. Second channel based on imaging sensor is used for concentration mapping in whole field of view. The joint use of these two methods allows determining the concentration of PS in different points of the field quickly and accurately, which provides the exact determination of tissues in pathologic condition and informed choice of irradiation dose for photodynamic therapy.

Multi-spectral imaging of oxygen saturation

The system of multi-spectral imaging of oxygen saturation is an instrument that can record both spectral and spatial information about a sample. In this project, the spectral imaging technique is used for monitoring of oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in human tissues. This system can be used for monitoring spatial distribution of oxygen saturation in photodynamic therapy, surgery or sports medicine. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy in the visible range is an effective and extensively used technique for the non-invasive study and characterization of various biological tissues. In this article, a short review of modeling techniques being currently in use for diffuse reflection from semi-infinite turbid media is presented. A simple and practical model for use with a real-time imaging system is proposed. This model is based on linear approximation of the dependence of the diffuse reflectance coefficient on relation between absorbance and reduced scattering coefficient. This dependence was obtained with the Monte Carlo simulation of photon propagation in turbid media. Spectra of the oxygenated and deoxygenated forms of hemoglobin differ mostly in the red area (520 - 600 nm) and have several characteristic points there. Thus four band-pass filters were used for multi-spectral imaging. After having measured the reflectance, the data obtained are used for fitting the concentration of oxygenated and free hemoglobin, and hemoglobin oxygen saturation.

Multispectral imaging technique for skin grafts’ functional state assessment

The development of express method for assessing the state of skin graft by the spectroscopic properties of tissue components involved in the healing of the affected skin or healing of skin grafts was carried out in present work. The proposed method for assessing the state of the skin by the spectroscopic properties of tissue components (using photosensitizers, fluorescent dyes (methylene blue and IcG) and nanophotosensitizers aluminum phthalocyanine nanoparticles (NP-AlPc) applied locally) will evaluate the physiological condition of the skin and assess the degree and rate of engraftment or rejection while also controlling several biochemical and physiological parameters in the entire graft, or the whole area of the skin lesions. Such parameters include the oxygenation of hemoglobin in the tissue microvasculature; the blood supply level; blood flow and lymph flow; assessment of intracellular metabolism; assessment of the cellular respiration type (aerobic/anaerobic).To assess the extent of inflammation the spectrally sensitive to biological environment nanoparticles of aluminum phthalocyanine (NP-AlPc) were also used.

Automatic classification of fluorescence and optical diffusion spectroscopy data in neuro-oncology

The complexity of the biological tissue spectroscopic analysis due to the overlap of biological molecules’ absorption spectra, multiple scattering effect, as well as measurement geometry in vivo has caused the relevance of this work. In the neurooncology the problem of tumor boundaries delineation is especially acute and requires the development of new methods of intraoperative diagnosis. Methods of optical spectroscopy allow detecting various diagnostically significant parameters non-invasively. 5-ALA induced protoporphyrin IX is frequently used as fluorescent tumor marker in neurooncology. At the same time analysis of the concentration and the oxygenation level of haemoglobin and significant changes of light scattering in tumor tissues have a high diagnostic value. This paper presents an original method for the simultaneous registration of backward diffuse reflectance and fluorescence spectra, which allows defining all the parameters listed above simultaneously. The clinical studies involving 47 patients with intracranial glial tumors of II-IV Grades were carried out in N.N. Burdenko National Medical Research Center of Neurosurgery. To register the spectral dependences the spectroscopic system LESA- 01-BIOSPEC was used with specially developed w-shaped diagnostic fiber optic probe. The original algorithm of combined spectroscopic signal processing was developed. We have created a software and hardware, which allowed (as compared with the methods currently used in neurosurgical practice) to increase the sensitivity of intraoperative demarcation of intracranial tumors from 78% to 96%, specificity of 60% to 82%. The result of analysis of different techniques of automatic classification shows that in our case the most appropriate is the k Nearest Neighbors algorithm with cubic metrics.

Two-Stage Analysis on Models for Quantitative Differentiation of Early-Pathological Bladder States

A mathematical simulation method was developed for visualization of the diffuse reflected light on a surface of 3-layered models of urinary bladder wall. Five states, from normal to precancerous, of the urinary bladder epithelium were simulated. With the use of solutions of classical electrodynamics equations, scattering coefficients and asymmetry parameters of the bladder epithelium were found in order to perform Monte Carlo calculations. The results, compared with the experimental studies, has revealed the influence of the changes in absorption and scattering properties on diffuse-reflectance signal distributions on the surfaces of the modelled media.

The video fluorescent device for diagnostics of cancer of human reproductive system

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is one of the advanced methods of treatment of skin cancer and surfaces of internal organs. The basic advantages of PDT are high efficiency and low cost of treatment. PDT technique is needed for providing fluorescent diagnostics. Laser-based systems are widely applied to the fluorescence excitations for diagnostic because of a narrow spectrum of fluorescence excitation and high density of radiation. Application of laser systems for carrying out fluorescent diagnostics gives the image of a tumor distorted by speckles that does not give an opportunity to obtain full information about the form of a tumor quickly. Besides, these laser excitation systems have complicated structure and high cost. As a base for the development and creation of a video fluorescent device one of commercially produced colposcopes was chosen. It allows to decrease cost of the device, and also has enabled to make modernization for already used colposcopes. A LED-based light source was offered to be used for fluorescence excitation in this work. The maximum in a spectrum of radiation of LEDs corresponds to the general spectral maximum of protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) absorption. Irradiance in the center of a light spot is 31 mW/cm2. The receiving optical system of the fluorescent channel is adjusted at 635 nm where a general spectral maximum of fluorescence PPIX is located. Also the device contains a RGB video channel, a white light source and a USB spectrometer LESA-01-BIOSPEC, for measurement of spectra of fluorescence and diffusion reflections in treatment area. The software is developed for maintenance of the device. Some studies on laboratory animals were made. As a result, areas with the increased concentration of a PPIX were correctly detected. At present, the device is used for diagnostics of cancer of female reproductive system in Research Centre for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (Moscow, Russia).