Abstract
Contrast agents are utilized in virtually every imaging modality to enhance diagnostic capabilities. We introduce a novel class of optical contrast agent, namely, encapsulating microspheres, that are based not on fluorescence but on scattering nanoparticles within the shell or core. The agents are suitable for reflection- or scattering-based techniques such as optical coherence tomography, light microscopy, and reflectance confocal microscopy. We characterize the optical properties of gold-, melanin-, and carbon-shelled contrast agents and demonstrate enhancement of optical coherence tomography imaging after intravenous injection of such an agent into a mouse.
© 2003 Optical Society of America
Full Article | PDF ArticleMore Like This
Chenyang Xu, Jian Ye, Daniel L. Marks, and Stephen A. Boppart
Opt. Lett. 29(14) 1647-1649 (2004)
Changhuei Yang, Laura E. L. McGuckin, John D. Simon, Michael A. Choma, Brian E. Applegate, and Joseph A. Izatt
Opt. Lett. 29(17) 2016-2018 (2004)
Changhuei Yang, Michael A. Choma, Laura E. Lamb, John D. Simon, and Joseph A. Izatt
Opt. Lett. 29(12) 1396-1398 (2004)