ABSTRACT
Speckle contrast diffuse correlation tomography (scDCT) is an emerging blood flow (BF) imaging solution offering many features in a single device. Understanding its development rationale, current roles, and future prospects naturally follows coverage of background material. This introductory chapter has three primary objectives which collectively prepare the reader to both fully utilize the advancements made with scDCT as described throughout the remainder of the book as well as to put them in the context of the field in general. These objectives include emphasizing the importance of BF imaging, providing an overview of diffuse near-infrared BF imaging technologies, and enumerating the pivotal instrumentation leading up to and including scDCT for solving notable deficiencies in contemporary biomedical imaging. The section titles straightforwardly represent these objectives.
