Method for multimodal tissue imaging based on resonance Raman effect on metal based MRI contrast agents and method for ionizing laser plumes through atmospheric pressure chemical ionization

1. A method for multimodal imaging during a medical procedure, the method comprising:

administering a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent to tissue, the MRI contrast agent comprising at least one of a plurality of metal atoms, a plurality of metal ions, and a plurality of metal complexes, the MRI contrast agent comprising a chemical structure having a plurality of charge-transfer electronic transitions, the MRI contrast agent configured for use in relation to the multimodal imaging, and the multimodal imaging comprising MRI imaging, Raman imaging, and at least one selected from the group consisting of: computerized tomography (CT) imaging, ultrasound (US) imaging, white light imaging, and three-dimensional (3D) optical imaging;

imaging the tissue with an MRI device, the MRI contrast agent facilitating enhancement of imaging contrast, thereby facilitating recordation of MRI imaging data;

tuning excitation light to approximate each charge-transfer electronic transition of the plurality of charge-transfer electronic transitions of the MRI contrast agent, thereby providing an excitation light with a plurality of spectral components tuned to each charge-transfer electronic transition of the plurality of charge-transfer electronic transitions;

illuminating the tissue with the tuned excitation light;

wherein interaction of the tuned excitation light with the plurality of charge-transfer electronic transitions produces a plurality of Raman optical signals by way of at least one Raman resonance effect;

detecting and analyzing the plurality of optical Raman signals to generate Raman imaging data;

and

registering the MRI imaging data with the Raman imaging data and with at least one of CT imaging data, US imaging data, white light imaging data, and 3D optical imaging data,

wherein registering is a spatial registration using one of fiduciary markers or anatomical landmarks;

wherein administering the MRI contrast agent comprises administering a chelated metal ion material consisting of at least one of: a chelated gadolinium ion material, a chelated iron ion material, and a chelated manganese ion material, and a chelated platinum ion material, and

and wherein administering the MRI contrast agent further comprises administering at least one of: a gadoteridol, a gadobenic acid, a gadoxetic acid, and a gadobutrol.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein illuminating is performed prior to imaging.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein registering comprises, by using a computing device having a memory:

prior to a surgical procedure, obtaining a preoperative image of the tissue from the MRI device;

storing the preoperative image in the memory;

during the surgical procedure, registering a Raman imaging device with a surgical navigation system;

during the surgical procedure, obtaining an intraoperative image of an MRI contrast agent distribution of the tissue by using the Raman imaging device;

at least one of correlating and registering the pre-operative image of the tissue with the intraoperative image of the tissue based on corresponding features provided by navigation data from the surgical navigation system; and

storing a transformation in the memory in association with one of the intraoperative image and the preoperative image.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting and analyzing comprises using a Raman spectral analyzer.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein using Raman spectral analyzer comprises using a spectrometer.

6. A computer-implemented method for multimodal imaging and registration during a medical procedure, using a computing device having a memory, the method comprising:

administering a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent to tissue, the MRI contrast agent comprising at least one of a plurality of metal atoms, a plurality of metal ions, and a plurality of metal complexes, the MRI contrast agent comprising a chemical structure having a plurality of charge-transfer electronic transitions, the MRI contrast agent configured for use in relation to the multimodal imaging, and the multimodal imaging comprising MRI imaging, Raman imaging, and at least one selected from the group consisting of: computerized tomography (CT) imaging, ultrasound (US) imaging, white light imaging, and three-dimensional (3D) optical imaging;

imaging the tissue with an MRI device, the MRI contrast agent facilitating enhancement of imaging contrast, thereby facilitating recordation of MRI imaging data;

tuning excitation light to approximate each charge-transfer electronic transition of the plurality of charge-transfer electronic transitions of the MRI contrast agent, thereby providing an excitation light with a plurality of spectral components tuned to each charge-transfer electronic transition of the plurality of charge-transfer electronic transitions;

illuminating the tissue with the tuned excitation light,

wherein interaction of the tuned excitation light with the plurality of charge-transfer electronic transitions produces a plurality of Raman optical signals by way of at least one Raman resonance effect;

detecting and analyzing the plurality of optical Raman signals to generate Raman imaging data;

and

registering the MRI imaging data with the Raman imaging data and with at least one of CT imaging data, US imaging data, white light imaging data, and 3D optical imaging data,

wherein administering the MRI contrast agent comprises administering a chelated metal ion material consisting of at least one of: a chelated gadolinium ion material, a chelated iron ion material, and a chelated manganese ion material, and a chelated platinum ion material, and

and wherein administering the MRI contrast agent further comprises administering at least one of: a gadoteridol, a gadobenic acid, a gadoxetic acid, and a gadobutrol.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein registering comprises, by using the computing device,

prior to a surgical procedure, obtaining a preoperative image of the tissue from the MRI device;

storing the preoperative image in the memory;

during the surgical procedure, registering a Raman imaging device with a surgical navigation system;

during the surgical procedure, obtaining an intraoperative image of an MRI contrast agent distribution of the tissue by using the Raman imaging device;

at least one of correlating and registering the pre-operative image of the tissue with the intraoperative image of the tissue based on corresponding features provided by navigation data from the surgical navigation system; and

storing a transformation in the memory in association with one of the intraoperative image and the preoperative image.