MRI-guided near-infrared spectroscopic tomography (MRg-NIRST): system development for wearable, simultaneous NIRS and MRI imaging

A novel wearable MRg-NIRST system for breast cancer detection has been designed and developed. In this prototype, eight (8) flex circuit strips, each with six (6) photo-detectors (PDs) and six (6) source fibers, are attached to the breast to collect diffused light. A 6x48 fiber switch and 48 side-firing fibers deliver intensity modulated laser light at six (6) near-infrared wavelengths. Light intensity at each of 2304 source-detector positionsis obtained for T₂-MRI guided 3D NIRST image reconstruction. In phantom testing, reconstructed images showed the contrast between tumor/inclusion and normal/background.