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Measurement of Tissue Optical Properties: Methods and Theories

  • Chapter
Optical-Thermal Response of Laser-Irradiated Tissue

Part of the book series: Lasers, Photonics, and Electro-Optics ((LPEO))

Abstract

In this chapter, the various experimental techniques which have been developed to measure the optical scattering and absorption properties of tissues are discussed, together with the theory underlying these methods. The fundamental optical properties of interest are the absorption coefficient, µ a , scattering coefficient, µ s , total attenuation coefficient, µ t = µ a + µ s , scattering phase function, p(cosθ), or scattering anisotropy, g reduced scattering coefficient, µ′ s = µ s (1 − g) and the tissue refractive index, n. These optical properties are parameters in the radiation transport equation which describes the propagation of light in tissue (see Chapters 2, 3, and 6). Another parameter often measured is the effective attenuation coefficient, µ eff , which describes the exponential attenuation of scattered light with depth in tissue.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ontario Cancer Institute and Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M4X 1K9, Canada

    Brian C. Wilson

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  1. Brian C. Wilson
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 78712, Austin, Texas, USA

    Ashley J. Welch

  2. Laser Center, Academic Medical Center, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Martin J. C. Van Gemert

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© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Wilson, B.C. (1995). Measurement of Tissue Optical Properties: Methods and Theories. In: Welch, A.J., Van Gemert, M.J.C. (eds) Optical-Thermal Response of Laser-Irradiated Tissue. Lasers, Photonics, and Electro-Optics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6092-7_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6092-7_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-6094-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-6092-7

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