Multimode imaging applied toward diagnosis of skin cancer (SkinSpect)

Abstract

We introduce the research prototype of SkinSpect – a multimode dermoscope combining fluorescence, polarization and hyperspectral imaging. The multimode dermoscope combines polarization and hyperspectral imaging with a computationally rapid analytical model. This approach employs specific spectral ranges in visible and near infrared wavelengths for mapping the distribution of specific skin bio-molecules. This corrects for the melanin-hemoglobin misestimation common to other systems, without resorting to complex and computationally intensive tissue optical models that are prone to inaccuracies due to over-modeling. In the example shown, skin with a melanocytic nevus was imaged, after which the system determined relative melanin and hemoglobin concentrations as well as skin surface “fabric pattern” and fluorescence anisotropy maps.