Time-resolved diffuse optical tomography using fast-gated single-photon avalanche diodes

We present the first experimental results of reflectance Diffuse Optical Tomography (DOT) performed with a fast-gated single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) coupled to a time-correlated single-photon counting system. The Mellin-Laplace transform was employed to process time-resolved data. We compare the performances of the SPAD operated in the gated mode vs. the non-gated mode for the detection and localization of an absorbing inclusion deeply embedded in a turbid medium for 5 and 15 mm interfiber distances. We demonstrate that, for a given acquisition time, the gated mode enables the detection and better localization of deeper absorbing inclusions than the non-gated mode. These results obtained on phantoms demonstrate the efficacy of time-resolved DOT at small interfiber distances. By achieving depth sensitivity with limited acquisition times, the gated mode increases the relevance of reflectance DOT at small interfiber distance for clinical applications.