Measuring arrangement for tissue-optical examination of a subject with visible, NIR or IR light
First Claim
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1. An arrangement for optically analyzing tissue comprising:
- light source means for directing light, selected from the group consisting of visible light, infrared light and near-infrared light, along an optical axis at a tissuecontaining subject,detector means for detecting light from said light source means emerging from said subject and for generating electrical signals corresponding thereto;
ultrasound source means for directing ultrasound at said subject along an acoustic axis, said ultrasound interacting with some of said tissue in said subject so that said subject has tissue charged with ultrasound and tissue not charged with ultrasound;
said light source means and said ultrasound source means being disposed so that said optical axis and said acoustic axis are substantially parallel in said subject; and
evaluation means supplied with said signals from said detector means for separately calculating each of the intensity of light emerging from said subject which has passed through said tissue charged with ultrasound and the intensity of light emerging from said subject which has passed through said tissue not charged with ultrasound.
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for optically analyzing tissue in a subject directs coherent light and ultrasound at the subject along parallel propagation paths. The ultrasound causes a Doppler shift in the light emerging from the subject, this shift being related to certain tissue characteristics. The light emerging from the subject is detected and a corresponding signal is supplied to an evaluation stage which absolutely or relatively calculates the intensity of those parts of the detected light which proceeded through tissue not charged by ultrasound and those parts of the detected light which proceeded through tissue charged by ultrasound.
363 Citations
47 Claims
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1. An arrangement for optically analyzing tissue comprising:
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light source means for directing light, selected from the group consisting of visible light, infrared light and near-infrared light, along an optical axis at a tissuecontaining subject, detector means for detecting light from said light source means emerging from said subject and for generating electrical signals corresponding thereto; ultrasound source means for directing ultrasound at said subject along an acoustic axis, said ultrasound interacting with some of said tissue in said subject so that said subject has tissue charged with ultrasound and tissue not charged with ultrasound; said light source means and said ultrasound source means being disposed so that said optical axis and said acoustic axis are substantially parallel in said subject; and evaluation means supplied with said signals from said detector means for separately calculating each of the intensity of light emerging from said subject which has passed through said tissue charged with ultrasound and the intensity of light emerging from said subject which has passed through said tissue not charged with ultrasound. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method for optically analyzing tissue comprising the steps of:
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directing light, selected from the group consisting of visible light, infrared light and near-infrared light, along an optical axis at a tissue-containing subject, detecting light from said light source means emerging from said subject and generating electrical signals corresponding thereto; directing ultrasound at said subject along an acoustic axis, said ultrasound interacting with some of said tissue in said subject so that said subject has tissue charged with ultrasound and tissue not charged with ultrasound; disposing said light source means and said ultrasound source means so that said optical axis and said acoustic axis are substantially parallel in said subject; and separately calculating each of the intensity of light emerging from said subject which has passed through said tissue charged with ultrasound and the intensity of light emerging from said subject which has passed through said tissue not charged with ultrasound. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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Specification