Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (480 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
The use of light interaction (scattering, absorption, and fluorescence) with biological tissue to obtain morphologically based information. It includes measuring inherent tissue optical properties such as scattering, absorption, and autofluorescence; or optical properties of exogenous targeted fluorescent molecular probes such as those used in optical molecular imaging, or nontargeted optical contrast agents.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Imaging, Optical; Fluorescence Imaging; Imaging, Fluorescence; Autofluorescence Imaging; Imaging, Autofluorescence; Fundus Autofluorescence Imaging; Autofluorescence Imaging, Fundus; Fundus Autofluorescence Imagings.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Diagnostic Imaging; Investigative Techniques
- Narrower topics
- Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging; Narrow Band Imaging; Tomography, Optical; Transillumination
Related concepts
- Molecular Imaging
- Contrast Agents
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 84,294 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Optical Imaging” (counts retrieved 2026-11-04). 36,928 of them (43.8%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 41,256 records.
Reviews account for 6,592 records (7.8%) and meta-analyses for 548. Randomized controlled trials number 2,262 (2.7%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 0 |
| 2000-2009 | 6,471 |
| 2010-2019 | 41,256 |
| 2020 onward | 36,928 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 6,592 | 7.8% |
| Meta-analyses | 548 | 0.7% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 2,262 | 2.7% |
Method: PubMed query "Optical Imaging"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-11-04.
Reading the evidence in diagnostics and medical technology
A test or device is judged by how well it detects a condition, how often it gives false alarms or misses cases, and whether using it improves outcomes for people. Accuracy depends on who is tested and how common the condition is, so a test that performs well in a specialist hospital can perform differently in the community. Check the reference standard, the population studied, the sensitivity and specificity and whether results were confirmed in a separate group.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Near-infrared fluorescence imaging-guided surgery using cRGD-ZW800 to improve surgical resection margins in oral cancer: a phase I/II feasibility trial | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 42173866 · DOI · PMC13402695 |
| Multiscale metabolic mapping of lung tissue via coregistered mass spectrometry and nonlinear optical imaging | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 42418587 · DOI · PMC13344287 |
| Inverse scattering in biological samples via beam propagation | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 42627909 · DOI · PMC13496197 |
Near-infrared fluorescence imaging-guided surgery using cRGD-ZW800 to improve surgical resection margins in oral cancer: a phase I/II feasibility trial [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- In oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) surgery, inadequate tumor margins are reported in up to 85% of cases, adversely affecting outcomes.
- Closing excerpt
- These findings demonstrate that cRGD-ZW800-1 is safe, tumor-specific, and facilitates intraoperative margin assessment in OSCC.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (152 words)
In oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) surgery, inadequate tumor margins are reported in up to 85% of cases, adversely affecting outcomes. In this prospective, single-center study (n = 31; NCT04191460), we evaluated the safety and imaging feasibility of cRGD-ZW800-1, a near-infrared fluorescent integrin-targeted tracer. The secondary objective was to determine whether intraoperative fluorescence imaging could identify inadequate resection margins and inform surgical decision-making. Patients received 0.01, 0.025, or 0.05 mg/kg cRGD-ZW800-1, and tracer uptake was quantified using in vivo multi-diameter single-fiber reflectance and single-fiber fluorescence spectroscopy to optimize dosing and timing. All doses were well tolerated, achieving tumor-to-background ratios exceeding 4.5, with optimal performance at 0.025 mg/kg. Fluorescence imaging detected all 23 inadequate margins, including nine undetected by conventional assessment (sensitivity 100% versus 70%), altered surgical plans in five cases, and avoided adjuvant radiotherapy in three cases. These findings demonstrate that cRGD-ZW800-1 is safe, tumor-specific, and facilitates intraoperative margin assessment in OSCC.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42173866 · DOI · PMC13402695
Multiscale metabolic mapping of lung tissue via coregistered mass spectrometry and nonlinear optical imaging [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The lung is a highly heterogeneous organ that is composed of numerous microanatomical units, each essential for maintaining intricate functions that work in concert.
- Closing excerpt
- This multimodal approach provided detailed maps of molecular shifts occurring in distinct microanatomical features that, when adopted to interrogate this and other tissue types, has the potential to enable the discovery of new therapeutics.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (169 words)
The lung is a highly heterogeneous organ that is composed of numerous microanatomical units, each essential for maintaining intricate functions that work in concert. Disruptions in the molecular and cellular mechanisms can cause tissue fibrosis, inflammation, and severe breathing difficulties, which are common characteristics of the disease of prematurity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). BPD's molecular changes are not well understood, and this has hindered effective diagnosis and treatment. Here, we present a multimodal imaging workflow for detailed molecular and metabolic characterization of lung tissue at multiple spatial scales. We also developed a hierarchical multimodal registration network for precise coregistration of the data from each modality. Our results show that this approach can reveal previously unknown metabolic changes in distinct functional tissue units affected by disease, including altered lipid distributions, reduced optical redox states, and collagen remodeling. This multimodal approach provided detailed maps of molecular shifts occurring in distinct microanatomical features that, when adopted to interrogate this and other tissue types, has the potential to enable the discovery of new therapeutics.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42418587 · DOI · PMC13344287
Inverse scattering in biological samples via beam propagation [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Multiple scattering limits optical imaging in thick biological samples by scrambling sample-specific information.
- Closing excerpt
- Together, these results establish a foundation for the reliable application of inverse scattering to achieve biologically interpretable three-dimensional imaging in increasingly thick, multicellular samples, thus introducing a new paradigm for deep-tissue computational imaging.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (159 words)
Multiple scattering limits optical imaging in thick biological samples by scrambling sample-specific information. Physics-based inverse-scattering methods aim to computationally unscramble this information often by using nonconvex optimization solvers. However, their inherent nonconvexity often leads to highly sample-dependent performance and inaccurate reconstructions, particularly in strongly scattering specimens. Here, we introduce a novel inverse-scattering framework based on multislice beam propagation (MSBP) that robustly achieves high-quality scatter correction and label-free volumetric imaging across a diverse range of scattering biological samples. We rigorously benchmarked imaging performance across multiple MSBP solver implementations using both scattering calibration phantoms and biological specimens. We found that an amplitude-only cost function in the inverse solver, combined with angular and defocus diversity in the scattering measurements, enabled volumetric, label-free imaging with high-quality and subcellular-level scatter correction. Together, these results establish a foundation for the reliable application of inverse scattering to achieve biologically interpretable three-dimensional imaging in increasingly thick, multicellular samples, thus introducing a new paradigm for deep-tissue computational imaging.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42627909 · DOI · PMC13496197
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Retinal layer segmentation in multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis [4]
- Research article Spectral-Domain OCT Measurements in Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis [5]
- Research article Intraoperative use of ICG fluorescence imaging to reduce the risk of anastomotic leakage in colorectal surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis [6]
- Research article Optical Coherence Tomography in Alzheimer's Disease: A Meta-Analysis [7]
- Research article Advanced imaging technologies increase detection of dysplasia and neoplasia in patients with Barrett's esophagus: a meta-analysis and systematic review [8]
- Research article Narrow band imaging versus lugol chromoendoscopy to diagnose squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus: a systematic review and meta-analysis [9]
References
- Zweedijk BE, Lauwerends LJ, Galema HA, Robinson DJ, de Bruijn HS, Abbasi H, et al.. Near-infrared fluorescence imaging-guided surgery using cRGD-ZW800 to improve surgical resection margins in oral cancer: a phase I/II feasibility trial. . 2026. PMID 42173866 · DOI · PMC13402695
- Gorman BL, Li Z, Deutsch G, Huyck HL, Beishembieva N, Bhotika H, et al.. Multiscale metabolic mapping of lung tissue via coregistered mass spectrometry and nonlinear optical imaging. . 2026. PMID 42418587 · DOI · PMC13344287
- Kim J, Bolton B, Moshksayan K, Khanna R, Swartz ME, Ziemczonok M, et al.. Inverse scattering in biological samples via beam propagation. . 2026. PMID 42627909 · DOI · PMC13496197
- Petzold A, Balcer LJ, Calabresi PA, Costello F, Frohman TC, Frohman EM, et al.. Retinal layer segmentation in multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Neurol. 2017. PMID 28920886 · DOI
- Chan VTT, Sun Z, Tang S, Chen LJ, Wong A, Tham CC, et al.. Spectral-Domain OCT Measurements in Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Ophthalmology. 2019. PMID 30114417 · DOI · PMC6424641
- Blanco-Colino R, Espin-Basany E. Intraoperative use of ICG fluorescence imaging to reduce the risk of anastomotic leakage in colorectal surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Tech Coloproctol. 2018. PMID 29230591 · DOI
- Coppola G, Di Renzo A, Ziccardi L, Martelli F, Fadda A, Manni G, et al.. Optical Coherence Tomography in Alzheimer's Disease: A Meta-Analysis. PLoS One. 2015. PMID 26252902 · DOI · PMC4529274
- Qumseya BJ, Wang H, Badie N, Uzomba RN, Parasa S, White DL, et al.. Advanced imaging technologies increase detection of dysplasia and neoplasia in patients with Barrett's esophagus: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2013. PMID 23851020 · DOI · PMC3910269
- Morita FH, Bernardo WM, Ide E, Rocha RS, Aquino JC, Minata MK, et al.. Narrow band imaging versus lugol chromoendoscopy to diagnose squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Cancer. 2017. PMID 28086818 · DOI · PMC5237308
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.