Terahertz time-lapse imaging of hydration in physiological tissues

David B. Bennett, Zachary D. Taylor, Neha Bajwa, Priyamvada Tewari, Ashkan MacCabi, Shijun Sung, Rahul S. Singh, Martin O. Culjat, Warren S. Grundfest, Elliott R. Brown

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study describes terahertz (THz) imaging of hydration changes in physiological tissues with high water concentration sensitivity. A fast-scanning, pulsed THz imaging system (centered at 525 GHz; 125 GHz bandwidth) was utilized to acquire a 35 mm x 35 mm field-of-view with 0.5 mm x 0.5 mm pixels in less than two minutes. THz time-lapsed images were taken on three sample systems: (1) a simple binary system of water evaporating from a polypropylene towel, (2) the accumulation of fluid at the site of a sulfuric acid burn on ex vivo porcine skin, and (3) the evaporative dehydration of an ex vivo porcine cornea. The diffusion-regulating behavior of corneal tissue is elucidated, and the correlation of THz reflectivity with tissue hydration is measured using THz spectroscopy on four ex vivo corneas. We conclude that THz imaging can discern small differences in the distribution of water in physiological tissues and is a good candidate for burn and corneal imaging.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationTerahertz Technology and Applications IV
DOIs
StatePublished - 2011
Externally publishedYes
EventTerahertz Technology and Applications IV - San Francisco, CA, United States
Duration: 26 Jan 201127 Jan 2011

Publication series

NameProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume7938
ISSN (Print)0277-786X

Conference

ConferenceTerahertz Technology and Applications IV
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySan Francisco, CA
Period26/01/1127/01/11

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