Development of an imaging modality utilizing 2D optical signals during an EPI-fluorescent optical mapping experiment

Optical mapping is a commonly used technique to visualize the electrical activity in the heart. Recently, several groups have attempted to use the signals acquired in optical mapping to image the transmembrane potential in the heart, which would be particularly advantageous when studying the effects of defibrillation-type shocks throughout the wall of the heart. Our work presents an alternative imaging method that makes use of data obtained using multiple wavelengths and therefore multiple optical decay constants. A modified form of the diffusion equation Green's function for a semi-infinite slab of tissue is derived and used to relate the detected optical signals to the source of emission photons. Images using the optical signals are reconstructed using Gaussian quadrature and matrix inversion. Our results show that images can be obtained for source terms located below the tissue surface. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our reconstruction method's susceptibility to noise can be alleviated using sophisticated matrix inverse techniques, such as singular value decomposition. Sources that rapidly decay with depth or are highly localized in the image plane require more sophisticated techniques (e.g., regularization methods) to image the electrical activity in the heart. The work presented here demonstrates the feasibility of a new imaging technique of cardiac electrical activity using optical mapping.