Hybrid fluorescence tomography / X-ray tomography improves reconstruction quality.

A novel hybrid imaging system for simultaneous X-ray and Fluorescence Tomography is presented, capitalizing on 360°-projection free-space fluorescence tomography. The system is implemented within a commercial micro-CT scanner allowing reconstructions with a resolution of 95μm. Acquired data sets are intrinsically coregistered in the same coordinate system and can be used to correctly localize reconstructed fluorescence distributions with morphological features. More importantly, the micro-CT data, automatically segmented into different organ and tissue segments can be used to guide the fluorescence reconstruction algorithm and reduce the illcoditioning of the inverse problem. We showcase the use of the system and the improvements in image quality for lesions in brain and lung