Abstract
.The optical properties of human tissues are an important parameter in medical diagnostics and therapy. The knowledge of these parameters can encourage the development of automated, computer-driven optical tissue analysis methods. We determine the absorption coefficient and scattering coefficient of different tissue types obtained during parotidectomy in the wavelength range of 250 to 800 nm. These values are determined by high precision integrating sphere measurements in combination with an optimized inverse Monte Carlo simulation. To conserve the optical behavior of living tissues, the optical spectroscopy measurements are performed immediately after tissue removal. Our study includes fresh samples of the ear, nose, and throat (ENT) region, as muscle tissue, nervous tissue, white adipose tissue, stromal tissue, parotid gland, and tumorous tissue of five patients. The measured behavior of adipose corresponds well with the literature, which sustains the applied method. It is shown that muscle is well supplied with blood as it features the same characteristic peaks at 430 and 555 nm in the absorption curve. The parameter decreases for all tissue types above 570 nm. The accuracy is adequate for the purposes of providing and of different human tissue types as muscle, fat, nerve, or gland tissue, which are embedded in large complex structures such as in the ENT area. It becomes possible for the first time to present reasonable results for the optical behavior of human soft tissue located in the ENT area and in the near-UV, visual, and near-infrared areas.
Highlights
The optical properties of human tissues have an effect on many diagnostic and therapeutic applications in laser medicine, but they are important for routine medical diagnostics
Light can penetrate and escape tissue, which increases the interest in understanding the scattering and absorption properties of human tissues, as it is the basis for medical diagnostics and therapy.[1]
As the surgeon has decided based on the local patient anatomy how many and what kind of samples could be extracted, the number of samples differs between the patients and the tissue types
Summary
The optical properties of human tissues have an effect on many diagnostic and therapeutic applications in laser medicine, but they are important for routine medical diagnostics. Light can penetrate and escape tissue, which increases the interest in understanding the scattering and absorption properties of human tissues, as it is the basis for medical diagnostics and therapy.[1] Specifying the optical properties of human tissue is the initial step in interpreting measurements correctly. These properties can be used to predict the light distribution and deposition in tissue for many applications, e.g., intraoperative tissue analysis. Computer-aided detection and augmentation of sensible structures and tissues could lead to better results and more reliability in surgical procedures, especially in the head and neck region, with many sensible structures present.[2,3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
