Reconstruction enhancement of hidden objects using multiple speckle contrast projections and optical clearing agents

In this study, we demonstrate the potential use of combining multiple speckled contrast viewpoints together with optical clearing agents (OCAs) to enhance the image quality of objects (chicken's broken leg and prostate tumor) embedded in a scattering medium (chicken breasts) in transmission geometry. After the medium was immersed in optical clearing agents it was illuminated with a monochromatic coherent light source and multiple-speckled images obtained from a lens array were converted in the computer to form speckled contrast images. These images were then processed using an iterative weighted shift-and-add algorithm which yields the reconstruction image of the hidden object with improvement in both contrast and details. Moreover, we demonstrate resolving the size of the hidden objects with precision in agreement with the real size. Furthermore, the influence of OCAs at different temperatures and time on image quality was investigated. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.