New approaches to transillumination imaging.

A review of the current state of transillumination imaging for the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer and the difficulties that impede more widespread acceptance of the methods is presented. An outline is given of the physical models that may be used to describe the propagation and scattering of light in a tissue matrix and how these models might be valuable in identifying imaging improvements. Some of the proposals for future imaging arrangements are described and the preliminary work on a system for light transmission computed tomography is presented.