Patent ID: 8145294

Claim:
An apparatus for determining a distribution of chromophores and/or a thickness of structural layers in a sample of epithelial tissue, the apparatus comprising: a polarized light source configured to illuminate said sample of epithelial tissue with polarized light having wavelengths falling within a first, second, and third predetermined wavebands; a polarizing filter positioned so as to filter light remitted from said sample of epithelial tissue, said polarizing filter configured to filter out light polarized in a manner generated by said polarized light source; an image generator configured to detect filtered remitted light from said sample of epithelial tissue and generate image data indicative of the intensity of filtered remitted light received by said image generator having wavelengths falling within said first, second and third predetermined wavebands; a ratio determination module configured to process said image data generated by said image generator to determine for positions within images represented by said image data, a first ratio corresponding to a ratio of light received by said image generator having wavelengths within said second waveband relative to light having wavelengths within said first waveband, and a second ratio corresponding to a ratio of light received by said image generator having wavelengths within said third waveband relative to light having wavelengths within said first waveband; a concentration determination module configured to determine for positions within said images represented by said image data by said image generator, concentrations of chromophores and/or the thickness of structural layers of said epithelial tissue at said positions in a sample of epithelial tissue represented by said image data utilizing said first and said second ratios determined for said positions by said ratio determination module; and an output module configured to output data representing the determined concentrations of chromophores and/or thickness of structural layers for said positions of said sample of epithelial tissue as determined by said concentration determination module.