Different orders of scattering through time-resolved Mueller matrix imaging estimates of pre-malignancy in human cervical tissues.

Abstract

Time-resolved Mueller matrix (MM) imaging polarimetry in transmission mode has been implemented in both epithelium and stromal regions of cervical tissues to explore the various polarization dynamics in connection with the diagnosis of cervical precancer. The picosecond-resolved intensity patterns of various MM elements, resulting from the various orders of scattering, at different time delays provide clear demarcation between the epithelium and stroma of cervical tissue. The time dependent depolarization and retardance maps are seen to differentiate the epithelium from stroma. The average values of time dependent linear, linear-45, and circular depolarization and linear, circular, and scalar retardance parameters in different regimes of scattering from the optically anisotropic stromal region identify the pre-malignancy in cervical tissue. As the disease evolves, time dependent linear depolarization varies to larger values as compared to time dependent circular depolarization. Interestingly, the chirality of the collagen network that rotates the plane of polarized light in either direction in normal samples is limited to only the clockwise direction during the progression of the disease. These results show potential in the early detection and understanding of the mechanisms of morphological changes in cervical cancer development.