Patent ID: 6272367
Filing Date: 2001-08-07
Classification: A61B,G01N

Abstract:
A spectroscopic system for examination of biological tissue comprising:multiple input ports arranged to introduce light at input locations into biological tissue and multiple detection ports arranged to collect light from detection locations of the biological tissue, said multiple input and detection ports being placed at selected locations relative to a tissue region establishing for each detection port a plurality of average photon migration pathlengths inside the tissue region between said input locations and said detection locations;at least one light source, operatively connected to a radiation pattern controller, constructed to generate light of a wavelength in a range from visible to infrared, said light source optically coupled to at least one of said input ports;at least one detector, operatively connected to said radiation pattern controller, constructed and arranged to detect light of said wavelength that has migrated in the tissue region to at least one detection location and corresponding at least one of said detection ports;said radiation pattern controller constructed to control patterns of said light introduced from said multiple input ports and constructed to control detection of light migrating to said multiple detection ports to select a null defined by introduced light patterns and said average photon migration pathlengths; anda processor operatively connected to receive detector signals from said detector and operatively connected to said radiation pattern controller and arranged to process said detector signals relative to said patterns of said introduced light to determine a measured null in said patterns, said processor being arranged to compare said null selected by said radiation pattern controller to said measured null and arranged to examine the tissue region based on said comparison.