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Title: Method for measuring changes in light absorption of highly scattering media

Patent ·
OSTI ID:874391

The noninvasive measurement of variations in absorption that are due to changes in concentrations of biochemically relevant compounds in tissue is important in many clinical settings. One problem with such measurements is that the pathlength traveled by the collected light through the tissue depends on the scattering properties of the tissue. It is demonstrated, using both Monte Carlo simulations and experimental measurements, that for an appropriate separation between light-delivery and light-collection fibers, the pathlength of the collected photons is insensitive to scattering parameters for the range of parameters typically found in tissue. This is important for developing rapid, noninvasive, inexpensive, and accurate methods for measuring absorption changes in tissue.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-36
Assignee:
The Regents of the University of California (Los Alamos, NM)
Patent Number(s):
US 6381018
OSTI ID:
874391
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (3)

Optimal probe geometry for near-infrared spectroscopy of biological tissue journal January 1997
Measuring absorption coefficients in small volumes of highly scattering media: source-detector separations for which path lengths do not depend on scattering properties journal January 1997
Non-invasive measurement of chemotherapy drug concentrations in tissue: preliminary demonstrations of in vivo measurements journal January 1999