Visible-Near Infrared Spectroscopic Assessment of Urogenital Tissue in Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Women

摘要

Background: A clinical study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using visible and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as a potential noninvasive measure of genital skin health in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Methods: A total of 45 female subjects (aged 21-70?years), all of whom gave fully informed consent to participate, were enrolled in the study and assigned to 1 of 3 groups: 15 premenopausal (Pre-M), 15 postmenopausal receiving hormone replacement therapy (Post-M HRT), and 15 postmenopausal receiving no form of hormone replacement therapy (Post-M non-HRT). Spectral measurements were taken at the vaginal mucosa, and spectral data were evaluated for the erythema index (EI), hemoglobin index (HI), bilirubin/β-carotene, and melanin. The color index (CI; calculated as the ratio of absorbance at 480?nm/540?nm) was also determined. Results were compared with previously published results on biomarkers and physical characteristic of genital tissue measured on the same groups of women. Results: Spectral measurements from the Post-M Non-HRT subjects indicated a significant reduction in HI compared with the Pre-M group ( P ?=?.0003) and to the Post-M HRT group ( P ?