Polarization
is a fundamental property of light
and
a powerful
se
n
sing tool that has been applied to many areas. A Mueller
matrix is a complete
mathematical description of the
polarization characteristics of objects that interact with light
,
and is known as a transfer function of Stokes vectors which
characterise the state of polari
z
ation of light. Mueller
polarimetric imaging measures Mueller mat
rices over a field
of view and thus allows for visualising the polarization
characteristics of the objects. It has emerged as a promising
technique in recent years for tissue imaging, improving image
contrast
a
nd providing
a unique perspective to reveal additional information that cannot be resolved by other optical imaging modalities. This review introduces the basis of the Stokes-Mueller formulism, interpretation methods of Mueller matrices into fundamental polarization properties, polarization properties of biological tissues, and
considerations in the construction of Mueller polarimetric
imaging devices for surgical and diagnostic applications,
including primary configurations, optimization procedures,
calibration methods as well as the instrument polarization
properties of several widely-used biomedical optical devices.
The paper also reviews recent progress in Mueller polarimetric endoscopes and fibre Mueller polarimeters, followed by the future outlook in applying the technique to surgery and diagnostics.