Point spread function based image reconstruction in optical projection tomography

As a result of the shallow depth of focus of the optical imaging system, the use of standard filtered back projection in optical projection tomography causes space-variant tangential blurring that increases with the distance to the rotation axis. We present a novel optical tomographic image reconstruction technique that incorporates the point spread function of the imaging lens in an iterative reconstruction. The technique is demonstrated using numerical simulations, tested on experimental optical projection tomography data of single fluorescent beads, and applied to high-resolution emission optical projection tomography imaging of an entire zebrafish larva. Compared to filtered back projection our results show greatly reduced radial and tangential blurring over the entire 5.2 x 5.2 mm(2) field of view, and a significantly improved signal to noise ratio.