Design and implementation of dynamic near-infrared optical tomographic imaging instrumentation for simultaneous dual-breast measurements.

Dynamic near-infrared optical tomographic measurement instrumentation capable of simultaneous bilateral breast imaging, having a capability of four source wavelengths and 32 source-detector fibers for each breast, is described. The system records dynamic optical data simultaneously from both breasts, while verifying proper optical fiber contact with the tissue through implementation of automatic schemes for evaluating data integrity. Factors influencing system complexity and performance are discussed, and experimental measurements are provided to demonstrate the repeatability of the instrumentation.