Abstract
The diagnosis of atherosclerosis in the early phase is difficult. In this study, we focused on a
hyperspectral imaging (HSI) technology to detect atherosclerotic plaques. HSI is one method of
spectroscopic imaging. Near-infrared (NIR) HSI can show the distribution of chemical compounds by
vibrational information and provide the diagnostic imaging of plaques which consists of a lipid-rich
tissues. The object of this study is to detect an atherosclerosis phantom using NIR-HSI. An HSI system
was constructed by an NIR super continuum light source and an InGaAs CCD camera. We measured the
diffuse refl ectance of an atherosclerosis phantom, constructed hyperspectral images with a spectral angle
mapper algorithm in the 1150-1320 nm wavelength and detected the absorption spectra of bovine fat
under an optical arterial tissue phantom with thicknesses of 0.5 and 1.0 mm. These results support the
possibility of NIR-HSI as a new and noninvasive arteriosclerosis diagnostic modality.
