Differences in optical properties of normal and tumoral tissues: a comparison to accuracy limits in laser techniques for optical imaging

摘要

The use of optical techniques for diagnostic purpose relies on the capability to measure the optical properties of healthy and pathological tissues and in appreciating their relative differences. In fact, a degree of contrast must exist between absorption and scattering coefficients for effective detection of a tissue alteration using optical imaging. In this contest, it is important to study the accuracy limits of different optical measurement techniques in order to establish their performances in recovering the optical parameters. The accuracy limits of laser techniques in the determination of optical methods have been recovered partly from literature and, as far as concerns time-resolved techniques, from experimental work carried on in our laboratory using a conventional time-resolved system. The results from this analysis allow us to better identify the role of different experimental techniques, with are generally proposed in optical imaging for diagnostic purpose.