Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for determining the depth and concentration of fluorophores in a turbid medium are disclosed. The method advantageously provides for a rapid estimation of the depth of the fluorophore using characteristics of a temporal point spread function. The concentration of the fluorophore can be determined using the method of the present invention by combining a calculated depth of the fluorophore with a measurement of the intensity of the emitted fluorescence. The intensity can be accurately measured by the apparatus disclosed herein which combine back-reflection and trans-illumination geometries for the source of light injecting and detection.

Abstract: There is provided methods and systems for optical imaging in a turbid medium that combine continuous wave (CW) and time domain (TD) approaches to substantially increase robustness of optical imaging as well as to reduce acquisition times associated with the TD approach. In one aspect, a method is provided that uses CW measurements to scale the values of a temporal point spread function (TPSF) to avoid physical unit mismatch problems. In another aspect, both CW and TD measurements are synergistically combined to estimate optical properties of the medium used in image reconstruction. Optical systems capable of realizing these methods are also provided.