A source reconstruction algorithm based on adaptive hp-FEM for bioluminescence tomography.

As a novel modality of molecular imaging, bioluminescence tomography (BLT) is used to in vivo observe and measure the biological process at cellular and molecular level in small animals. The core issue of BLT is to determine the distribution of internal bioluminescent sources from optical measurements on external surface. In this paper, a new algorithm is presented for BLT source reconstruction based on adaptive hp-finite element method. Using adaptive mesh refinement strategy and intelligent permissible source region, we can obtain more accurate information about the location and density of sources, with the robustness, stability and efficiency improved. Numerical simulations and physical experiment were both conducted to verify the performance of the proposed algorithm, where the optical data on phantom surface were obtained via Monte Carlo simulation and CCD camera detection, respectively. The results represent the merits and potential of our algorithm for BLT source reconstruction.