Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for in vivo optical spectroscopic examination

US5349961A · kind A · utility

94Cited by
132References
27Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 8, 1993
Grant dateSep 27, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 8, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61B5/1455
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Methodology and apparatus for the clinical evaluation of biological matter, in particular human anatomy, examined in situ and in vivo, by selective spectral light transmissivity. An optical probe introduces selected light spectra into the examination subject at a first position and resulting light intensity at a second position located some distance from the infusion point is measured; also, light reception preferably occurs at at least one other location, and the effective distances between these locations and the infusion point are determined. The light energy received at the distant points is quantified and conditioned by use of the effective distances from the infusion point and/or from one another, and also by contrasting the data from the two differently-located reception points, such that the resulting data quantitatively characterizes intrinsic internal tissue characteristics in an absolute sense, devoid of particular individual characteristics and variations such as skin pigmentation, boundary composition or state, etc. The methodology is especially characterized by the selection and use of particularly-located first and second light-reception positions whose locations wit…

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