News Finding: The new device, whose design is still being refined by the team, is expected ultimately to look and function very much like existing otoscopes, the devices most doctors currently use to peer inside the ear to look for signs of infection.
Paper Finding: Any absorption or scattering of light by the tympanic membrane inevitably decreases the amount of light that can be delivered to the middle ear structures and further decreases the reflected signal intensity as it traverses back to the detector.
News Context: That could drastically reduce the estimated 2 million cases per year in the United States where such infections are incorrectly diagnosed and unnecessary antibiotics are prescribed. The new device, whose design is still being refined by the team, is expected ultimately to look and function very much like existing otoscopes, the devices most doctors currently use to peer inside the ear to look for signs of infection. "If there's no fluid, there's no chance of an infection.
Paper Context: The enhanced transmission of SWIR light is advantageous for an otoscope, given that light must pass through the tympanic membrane after reflecting off of the middle ear structures, such as the highly reflective ossicles and the promontory, before being detected. Any absorption or scattering of light by the tympanic membrane inevitably decreases the amount of light that can be delivered to the middle ear structures and further decreases the reflected signal intensity as it traverses back to the detector. Absorption beyond 1,300 nm is also evident in the tympanic membrane attenuation spectrum due to water in the tissue.