Tracking medical devices using time-corrrelated single photon counting imaging

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Very recently we have demonstrated a new technique to track fibre-optic medical devices inside the body using time-correlated single photon counting imaging (M. G. Tanner et al, "Ballistic and snake photon imaging for locating optical endomicroscopy fibres," Biomed. Opt. Express 8, 4077-4095 (2017)). The technique works by using the end of the fibre optic as a point source of short pulses of light. By imaging the external surface of the tissue in a time-correlated single photon counting manner, we can selectively detect the first few photons that emerge from the tissue with less scattering than the highly diffuse photon cloud that emerges later on. These first few photons provide remarkable accurate information about the location of the fibre optic inside the body. This project, which builds on a very recently awarded STFC-CLASP project in this area, will aim to explore the limitations of this technique, with the aim of driving it towards clinical exploitation.