Patent ID: 7697976

Claim:
A dedicated apparatus for detecting changes in molecular structure of human body surface tissue and diagnosing the properties and the degree of pathologic change of a gland tumor in a corresponding region, the apparatus comprising: a Fourier Transform mid-infrared spectrometer, used in conjunction with a mid-infrared fiber optics sampling attachment to acquire mid-infrared light reflected from human body surface tissue, wherein the Fourier Transform mid-infrared spectrometer includes: an interferometer part for generating mid-infrared light to be provided to the mid-infrared fiber optics sampling attachment; an infrared detector part comprising an abaxial parabolic mirror, a detector and a 3-dimensional tuning holder, for maximizing the collection of the mid-infrared light acquired by an ATR probe of the mid-infrared fiber sampling attachment, and for generating mid-infrared spectral data; and a data processor for processing the mid-infrared spectral data and comparing the processed infrared spectral data with a tumor database to diagnose the properties and the degree of pathologic change of the tested gland tumor; a mid-infrared fiber sampling attachment, connected to a fiber coupling part, wherein the mid-infrared fiber sampling attachment includes a mid-infrared incident fiber, a mid-infrared exiting fiber, and a ZnSe or Ge ATR probe, each of the mid-infrared incident and exiting fibers is a hollow fiber with multiple layers of different coatings on its inside wall, and the ATR probe is of a tapered shape or cylindered shape with an inclined section and is able to acquire an subcutaneous infrared spectrum of the tumor at the body surface when being placed on and in tight contact with the body surface; a fiber coupling part, placed between the interferometer part and the infrared detector part of the Fourier Transform infrared spectrometer, wherein the fiber sampling attachment is fixed onto the fiber coupling part, and the fiber coupling part includes two pieces of abaxial parabolic mirrors, as well as reflection mirrors and a precise fine-tuning mechanism for adjusting the parabolic mirrors, the fiber coupling part makes parallel light from the interferometer part converge into a point with a diameter of 1-3 mm so as to couple the converged light into the mid-infrared incident fiber of the fiber sampling attachment, and couples light from the mid-infrared exiting fiber of the fiber sampling attachment into the infrared detector part.