Abstract
While there are a plethora of in vivo fiber-optic spectroscopic techniques that have demonstrated the ability to detect a number of diseases in research trials with highly trained personnel familiar with the operation of experimental optical technologies, very few techniques show the same level of success in large multicenter trials. To meet the stringent requirements for a viable optical spectroscopy system to be used in a clinical setting, we developed components including an automated calibration tool, optical contact sensor for signal acquisition, and a methodology for real-time in vivo probe calibration correction. The end result is a state-of-the-art medical device that can be realistically used by a physician with spectroscopic fiber-optic probes. We show how the features of this system allow it to have excellent stability measuring two scattering phantoms in a clinical setting by clinical staff with ∼0.5 % standard deviation over 25 unique measurements on different days. In addition, we show the systems' ability to overcome many technical obstacles that spectroscopy applications often face such as speckle noise and user variability. While this system has been designed and optimized for our specific application, the system and design concepts are applicable to most in vivo fiber-optic-based spectroscopic techniques.
Highlights
In the last three decades, there have been hundreds of in vivo studies using optical spectroscopy for a myriad of applications.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9] Many of the instruments in those studies have been fiber-optic-based probes, which can be extraordinarily robust, flexible, relatively cheap, and easy to assemble
This is represented in Eq (1), where Smeasured is the signal measured by the detector, L is the spectrum of the illumination source, B is the background response signal caused by internal reflections and electrical noise, Tillumination is the throughput response of the illumination channel, Tcollection is the throughput response and quantum efficiency of the collection channel and detector, and Stissue is the intrinsic tissue response signal under investigation
Given that the optical system is being operated in a setting that is not optimized for use of a delicate optical instrument, there is a high chance of a mistake in the calibration of the optical spectroscopy system and that mistake will manifest in the extracted sample signal
Summary
In the last three decades, there have been hundreds of in vivo studies using optical spectroscopy for a myriad of applications.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9] Many of the instruments in those studies have been fiber-optic-based probes, which can be extraordinarily robust, flexible, relatively cheap, and easy to assemble. We present tools that can overcome three of those technical challenges: robust and standardized calibration, automated in vivo signal acquisition, and real-time correction to in vivo signal acquisition. To standardize signal acquisition technique and ensure measured biomarkers are a reflection of the tissue under investigation, rather than a marker of some extrinsic factor, our group invented a tool to automate the signal acquisition from an optical probe without modification to the hardware.[13]. Another challenge that fiber-optic probes face during in vivo use is bending and twisting of the probe. The overarching goal of these tools is to automate the use of a spectroscopic fiber-optic device and to ensure the robustness of acquired data
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