The DOI matches its Crossref record; 24 of the 24 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Imaging skin pathology with polarized light
Open accessAbstract
Linearly polarized light that illuminates skin is backscattered by superficial layers and rapidly depolarized by birefringent collagen fibers. It is possible to distinguish such superficially backscattered light from the total diffusely reflected light that is dominated by light penetrating deeply into the dermis. The method involves acquisition of two images through an analyzing linear polarizer in front of the camera, one image (I par) acquired with the analyzer oriented parallel to the polarization of illumination and one image (I per) acquired with the analyzer oriented perpendicular to the illumination. An image based on the polarization ratio, Pol5(I par-I per)/(I par+I per), is created. This paper compares normal light images, represented by I per , and Pol images of various skin pathologies in a pilot clinical study using incoherent visible-spectrum light. Images include pigmented skin sites (freckle, tattoo, pigmented nevi) and unpigmented skin sites [nonpigmented intradermal nevus, neurofibroma, actinic keratosis, malignant basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, vascular abnormality (venous lake), burn scar]. Images of a shadow cast from a razor blade onto a forearm skin site illustrate the behavior of Pol values near the shadow edge. Near the shadow edge, Pol approximately doubles in value because no I per photons are superficially scattered into the shadow-edge pixels by the shadow region while I par photons are directly backscattered from the superficial layer of these pixels. This result suggests that the point spread function in skin for cross-talk between Pol pixels has a half-width-half-max of about 390 µm.
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“some medical optical imaging techniques use polarized light including polarization-sensitive OCT, polarized light elastic scattering spectroscopy, and cross-polarized light imaging.149–151”
From Effect of skin color on optical properties and the implications for medical optical technologies: a review (2024) · cites this paper as [150]
In the citing paper
“In addition, changes in the polarisation state of light can be used to provide information about tissues, including the superficial layers of the skin, by characterising the depolarisation of light as it propagates [88,89].”
From Relevance and utility of the in-vivo and ex-vivo optical properties of the skin reported in the literature: a review [Invited] (2023) · cites this paper as [88]
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Cites
In Vivo Confocal Scanning Laser Microscopy of Human Skin: Melanin Provides Strong Contrast
Rajadhyaksha, M. M., Grossman, M. C., Esterowitz, D., Webb, R. H., & Anderson, R. R. (1995) · Journal of Investigative Dermatology · doi:10.1111/1523-1747.ep12606215 · Cited by 1,090
de Boer, J. F., Milner, T. E., van Gemert, M. J. C., & Nelson, J. S. (1997) · Optics Letters · doi:10.1364/ol.22.000934 · Cited by 884
Perelman, L. T., Backman, V., Wallace, M. B., Zonios, G. I., Manoharan, R., Nusrat, A., Shields, S. J., Seiler, M., Lima, C., Hamano, T., et al. (1998) · Physical Review Letters · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.80.627 · Cited by 492
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Demos, S. G., & Alfano, R. R. (1997) · Applied Optics · doi:10.1364/ao.36.000150 · Cited by 407
Backman, V., Gurjar, R. S., Badizadegan, K., Itzkan, I., Dasari, R. R., Perelman, L. T., & Feld, M. S. (1999) · IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics · doi:10.1109/2944.796325 · Cited by 396
Imaging superficial tissues with polarized light
Jacques, S. L., Roman, J. R., & Lee, K. C. L. (2000) · Lasers in Surgery and Medicine · doi:10.1002/(sici)1096-9101(2000)26:2 · Cited by 370
Self-citationPolarized Light Examination and Photography of the Skin
Anderson, R. R. (1991) · Archives of Dermatology · doi:10.1001/archderm.1991.01680060074007 · Cited by 310
Use of polarized light to discriminate short-path photons in a multiply scattering medium
Schmitt, J. M., Gandjbakhche, A., & Bonner, R. F. (1992) · Applied Optics · doi:10.1364/ao.31.006535 · Cited by 293
Yao, G., & Wang, L. V. (1999) · Optics Letters · doi:10.1364/ol.24.000537 · Cited by 232
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- Yao, 1999, Appl. Opt., 24, 537
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Tissue polarimetry: concepts, challenges, applications, and outlook
Ghosh, N., & Vitkin, A. I. (2011) · Journal of Biomedical Optics · doi:10.1117/1.3652896 · Cited by 754
Polarisation optics for biomedical and clinical applications: a review
He, C., He, H., Chang, J., Chen, B., Ma, H., & Booth, M. J. (2021) · Light Science & Applications · doi:10.1038/s41377-021-00639-x · Cited by 667
Salomatina, E. V., Jiang, B., Novak, J., & Yaroslavsky, A. N. (2006) · Journal of Biomedical Optics · doi:10.1117/1.2398928 · Cited by 599
Active Polarization Descattering
Treibitz, T., & Schechner, Y. Y. (2009) · IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence · doi:10.1109/tpami.2008.85 · Cited by 523
Polarized light interaction with tissues
Tuchin, V. V. (2016) · Journal of Biomedical Optics · doi:10.1117/1.jbo.21.7.071114 · Cited by 384
Metadata
- Authors
- Jacques, S. L., Ramella-Roman, J. C., & Lee, K.
- Affiliations
- Providence St. Vincent Medical Center (US)
- Oregon Health and Science Univ.
- Oregon Medical Laser Ctr.
- Venue
- Journal of Biomedical Optics
- Publisher
- SPIE-Intl Soc Optical Eng
- Published
- 2002-07-01
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 03
- Pages
- 329-340
- ISSN
- 1083-3668 (ISSN-L)
- 1560-2281
- OpenAlex
- W2044515481
- Cited by
- 582
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 45 · 2015: 34 · 2014: 31 · 2013: 27 · 2012: 28
- FWCI
- 15.21
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Biomedical Optics (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5r01ca080985-03)
- National Cancer Institute (R01-CA84587, R01-CA80985)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics › Optical Polarization and Ellipsometry
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy Techniques
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cutaneous Melanoma Detection and Management
- Keywords
- polarization imaging, dermatopathology, collagen birefringence, polarization ratio, skin pigmentation, freckles, tattoos, pigmented nevi, neurofibroma, actinic keratosis, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, venous lakes, burn scars, point spread function
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Biophysics, Burns, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Carcinoma, Basal Cell, Carcinoma, Squamous Cell, Cicatrix, Humans, Keratosis, Neurofibroma, Nevus, Pigmented, Pilot Projects, Scattering, Radiation, Skin, Skin Abnormalities, Skin Neoplasms, Optics and Photonics, Biophysical Phenomena
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