Computed Tomography Laser Mammography

Computed Tomography Laser Mammography (CTLM) is the trademark of Imaging Diagnostic Systems, Inc. (IDSI, USA) for its optical tomographic technique for female breast imaging.

This medical imaging technique uses laser energy in the near infrared region of the spectra, to detect angiogenesis in the breast tissue. It is optical molecular imaging for hemoglobin both oxygenated and deoxygenated. The technology uses laser in the same way computed tomography uses X-Rays, these beams travel through tissue and suffer attenuation.

A laser detector measures the intensity drop and the data is collected as the laser detector moves across the breast creating a tomography image. CTLM images show hemoglobin distribution in a tissue and can detect areas of Angiogenesis surrounding malignant tumors, that stimulate this angiogenesis to obtain nutrients for growth.

References

• CTLM-section on Imaging Diagnostic Systems website
• CTLM on Google Scholar
• Grable R.J. and others. Optical computed tomography for imaging the breast: first look // Proc. SPIE, 2000, Vol. 4082, p. 40–45.
• Grable R. and others. Optical mammography // Applied Radiology, 2001, Vol. 29, No. 2, p. 18–20.