Optical tomography for biomedical applications

Nonionizing optical tomography is a new and active research field although projection-light imaging was investigated as early as 1929. The optical properties of normal and diseased tissues are usually different despite the large variation of values in optical properties of the normal tissues alone. Therefore, it is possible to detect some breast cancers based on measurements of optical properties. In summary, optical techniques have the following advantages: (1) the use of nonionizing radiation, (2) the capability of measuring functional (physiological) parameters, (3) the potential high sensitivity to pathologic state of biological tissues, and (4) low cost. However, biomedical optics is a challenging research field requiring the participation of many diverse, talented scientists and engineers.