Simulation of time-resolved breast transillumination.

A Monte Carlo simulation has been developed to predict the quality of time-resolved images of the breast by transillumination. The smallest diameter of a detectable carcinoma located in the breast has been computed. The simulation suggests that time-resolved imaging of the breast is possible and invaluable in the near infra-red (NIR) by transillumination. The enhancement of the transfer function by the introduction of time-resolved detection is limited by the contribution of noise at short integration times. The estimated diameter of the smallest detectable sphere is derived from the image quality index (IQI) theory and its value is around 4 mm. The simulated images of an absorbing sphere (approximating the carcinoma) within a homogeneous medium (approximating the surrounding tissue) show a significant improvement of the image with short integration time.