Systems and methods for measuring fetal brain oxygenation

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a direct method for measuring oxygenation of a fetal brain. A photoacoustic diagnostic system 100 includes a console unit 110 and a handheld probe 150. The console unit includes a control unit, a processor, a photodiode array, an acoustic processing subsystem, and a cooling subsystem. The probe directs the optical signal from the photodiode array to the patient's tissue. Each optical signal has various wavelengths that are selected based on the physiological parameters of interest. The probe further includes an acoustic transducer that receives an acoustic signal generated in response to a directed optical signal. The probe may include a finger-grip working end that can be directed to the fetal skull in utero during labor. The probe can accurately determine fetal blood oxygenation to determine if a caesarean section procedure is required. [Selection diagram] Fig. 3