Abstract

Several optical methods have proved useful as a diagnostic tool for characterizing various skin disorders. The techniques vary from non-coherent methods such as, e.g., time independent reflectance spectroscopy and phase resolved photon migration based on evaluating the phase of the envelope of a high frequency amplitude modulated optical beam. A typical example a coherent or interferometric technique is optical coherence tomography where the spatial resolution is determined by the small coherence length a superluminescent diode source. Various infrared or thermal techniques are also important, ranging from imaging of the normal black body emission to time resolved measurements of the surface temperature initiated by transient selective heating of subcutaneous structures, such as, e.g., blood vessels.^1-3)

© 1997 Optical Society of America