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Direct measurement of the optical properties of human breast skin

  • Biomedical Optics
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Abstract

The optical properties of thin tissue samples are obtained using goniometric apparatus. Direct measurements of the scattering of 633 nm light by 20–120 μm thick samples ofin vitro human breast epidermis and dermis are numerically integrated to obtain values for the scattering and absorption coefficients μs and μa, respectively, and the anisotropy parameter g. The total attenuation coefficient μt is obtained from transmission measurements. The Beer-Lambert law is found to be sufficiently valid for ≌100 μm thick samples to be used as the basis of the numerical integration. However, normalisation errors involved with the integration mean that only approximate values of μa could be obtained. Values of ≌40 mm−1 are obtained for μt and μs, with the value of μa estimated as 1 mm−1. The optical properties of human breast epidermis and dermis are found to be similar at 633 nm, and the two could be considered as a single layer for modelling light propagation at this wavelength. Further, the intersubject variability seen in this study suggests that a model that uses a range of values for each optical property may be more useful in a clinical situation.

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Author notes

  1. S. P. Treweek

    Present address: National Centre for Training and Education in Prosthetics and Orthotics, University of Strathclyde, G4 0LS, Glasgow, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bioengineering Unit, University of Strathclyde, G4 0NW, Glasgow, UK

    S. P. Treweek & J. C. Barbenel

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  1. S. P. Treweek
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  2. J. C. Barbenel
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Treweek, S.P., Barbenel, J.C. Direct measurement of the optical properties of human breast skin. Med. Biol. Eng. Comput. 34, 285–289 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02511239

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02511239

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