A PORTABLE TIME RESOLVED SPECTROMETER

BEDSIDE, EMERGENCY ROOM, ICU AND ROUTINE PATIENT EXAMINATIONS REQUIRE USER-FRIENDLY INSTRUMENTATION. A PORTABLE TIME RESOLVED SPECTROMETER WILL BE USED FOR THE PURPOSE OF MEASURING ABSORPTION AND SCATTERING CO-EFFICIENTS IN SUBJECT TISSUE. THE DEVICE EMPLOYS PRINCIPLES AND APPROXIMATES THE PERFORMANCE OF MUCH LARGER TIME RESOLVED SYSTEMS. THE DESIGN REPRESENTS A MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE CONFIGURATION FOR DIRECTLY DETERMINING THE ABSORPTION AND SCATTERING MUA, AND MUS COMPONENTS OF TISSUE, PARTICULARLY BRAIN. THESE COEFFICIENTS WILL BE USEFUL IN DETERMINING PROPERTIES OF THE TISSUE, BOTH STRUCTURAL AND MOLECULAR. THE INSTRUMENT WILL AFFORD A DIRECT READOUT OF SCATTERING COMPONENTS VIA COMPUTER-FITTING SOFTWARE. THIS PROGRAMMING WOULD OPERATE ACCORDING TO THE DIFFUSION EQUATION AND CORRECT FOR THE INSTRUMENT FUNCTION AS WELL. THIS APPLIES FOR OTHER HIGHLY SCATTERING ORGANS AND EVEN NON-BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS AS WELL. TYPICAL TIME RESOLVED SPECTROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTATION IS CHARACTERISTICALLY CUMBERSOME AND BULKY. THE APPROACH WOULD INCORPORATE NOVEL LIGHT PULSER AND DETECTOR DESIGNS.