Patent Document ID: 20020007121
Application ID: 09334661
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. A method of diagnosing an inflammatory or ischaemic condition in a joint comprising: providing a device having: an emitter arranged to emit a beam of infrared light; a collector arranged to collect and analyze reflected light, said collector for producing an infrared spectrum; and a database containing a plurality of spectra previously collected from joints, said spectra being divided into at least two groups: spectra from joints diagnosed as having the inflammatory or ischaemic condition and spectra from nonafflicted joints; providing a joint; positioning the device proximal to the joint such that the emitter contacts the joint; emitting a beam of near infrared light from the emitter into the joint; collecting and analyzing reflected light from the beam, thereby producing a patient spectrum; comparing the patient spectrum to the database spectra; and assigning the patient spectra to a group, thereby diagnosing the joint.