Efficient light collection is critical in noninvasive deep tissue spectroscopy since only a small fraction of the injected light emerges from any given finite area on the surface of the probed medium. Light collection can be improved by optimizing the contact area between the detection system and the probed medium by means of light guides with large detection areas. Since the form factor of these light guides do not match the entrance of commercial spectrometers, which are usually equipped with a narrow slit to improve their spectral resolution, deep tissue spectrometers are typically custom-built. However, off-the-shelf spectrometers have attractive advantages compared to custom-made units, such as low-cost, small foot-print and availability. In this report, we present simple modifications to an off-the-shelf spectrometer to convert it into a suitable instrument for deep tissue spectroscopy. The modified spectrometer was characterized and compared to a custom-built unit specifically designed for deep tissue spectroscopy. We also present in vivo measurements acquired simultaneously with the two spectrometers in a piglet model of newborn.

Date Published: 13 March 2013
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 8573, Design and Quality for Biomedical Technologies VI, 85730V (13 March 2013); doi: 10.1117/12.2005624

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8573:
Design and Quality for Biomedical Technologies VI
Ramesh Raghavachari; Rongguang Liang, Editor(s)