Transcranial cerebral oximetry (TCCO) is a techniqe that evaluates saturation of oxygen in the underlying area of the brain by the noninvasive method of near-infrared spectroscpoy. Human tissues are generally transparent to light in the near-infrared range, so the light of this range (650 nm-1 100 nm) easily penetrates tissue to a depth of several centimeters. The light is partially absorbed by natural chromophores. In the human brain the predominant chromophores are oxygenated (HbO2) and deoxygenated (Hb) hemoglobin. The difference in the absorption spectra between the HbO2 and Hb yields the ratio of the oxygenated to total hemoglobin (the oxygen saturation) in the area of interest. The algorithm used to calculate the oxygen saturation of brain tissue using a multiple-detector system was previously described and validated in a number of animal and human studies. The use of cerebral oximetry in neurosurgery has been described. We discuss some observations from our experience with TCCO.
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