Method and apparatus for spectral transmissibility examination and analysis

Apparatus for obtaining optical response data from selected body portions of individual subjects indicative of the intrinsic internal physiological state of tissue within such body portions, comprising:

• a manually-manipulatable test instrument having at least first and second component members and supportive guide means disposed therebetween for movably positioning such members in a plurality of differently-spaced but consistently-aligned relative positions;
• said first component member including light source means for emitting selected light from said first member;
• said first component member being adapted to fit closely against a selected body portion from which clinical data is desired to be obtained, so as to project said emitted light thereinto;
• light-receiving means carried by said second component member for receiving at least part of the light projected into said selected body portion;
• light-receiver means carried with said first component member at a known distance from said light source, for receiving certain of said light emitted by said source after projection thereof into said selected body portion and following reflection and back-scatter effects upon said light occurring within said body portion, such that the emitted and projected light is received at both a far point on said body portion spaced from that at which said light is introduced into the body portion and also at a near point spaced at least slightly less than the far point from the point at which the light is initially introduced to the body portion;
• said far and near points of light reception being separated by a particular optical distance determinable from the respective locations of such points and the nominal distances thereof from the point of light injection, and said apparatus including means for operatively determining a value for said particular optical distance.

A method of obtaining optical response data from selected body portions of living beings indicative of the intrinsic internal physiological state of tissue within such body portions, comprising the steps of:

• placing at least first and second optical probe members in optical engagement with different areas on the surface of the selected body portion in a manner effective to project light into and receive such light out of the interior of said body portion from between the optically-active portions of such probe members;
• using position-fixing support means at least in part to hold said optical probe members in their said position of optical engagement, and determining the particular separation distance between said optically-active portions of said probe members while the latter are so held;
• sending selected light from at least one of said probe member active portions into the selected body portion which is in optical engagement therewith, and receiving resulting light energy at least at the other probe member active portion;
• quantifying and conditioning the said light energy received at said other probe member active portion by using said particular determined separation distance to condition such light energy data, for meaningful comparison with other such conditioned data obtained at other body portions and other separation distances.

A method of appraising the physiologic state o f selected body portions of living beings by optical response, comprising the steps of:

• using at least first and second optical probe members to inject light into and receive injected light from the selected body portion at a plurality of predetermined different mutually-spaced positions thereon;
• maintaining said optical probe members fixed in each of their said positions of physcial contact, and determining a measure of the nominal optical distance between said optically-active portions of said probe members while the latter are so maintained at each of said positions;
• sending selected light spectra from at least one of said probe member active portions into the selected body portion and receiving resulting light energy at least at the other probe member active portion at each of said different positions, and producing corresponding valuations from the light energy so received at each such position;
• using the said nominal optical distance measure determined at each such position to condition the light energy valuations produced for each such position;
• and mutually comparing the conditioned light energy valuation data corresponding to the various different positions and different nominal optical distance measures which have been determined.

A method of appraising the physiologic state of selected body portions of living beings, comprising the steps of:

• placing first and second optical probe members in operative light-injecting and receiving engagement with a selected body portion of each of a plurality of different living beings, at a selected location on each of said body portions
• holding said first and second optical probe members fixed in each of their said locations of operative light-injecting and receiving engagement, and determining the nominal optical distance between optically-active portions of said probe members while the latter are so held in each of said locations;
• sending selected light from at least one of said probe member active portions into the selected body portion with which it is in operative engagement, receiving resulting light energy at the other probe member active portion at each of said selected locations and determining representative light energy data for the light energy so received at each such different location;
• using said determined nominal optical distance for each such location to condition the light energy data determined for that location;
• receiving said resulting light energy from said body portion at a location nearer that at which said selected light is sent into said body portion at said one optical probe member than the location of said other optical probe member, at least at certain of said different selected locations;
• using a representative valuation of said resulting light energy received at said nearer location as a conditioning factor for the said resulting light energy data determined for light received at said other optical probe member, to condition such data for optical effects on the received light resulting from impingement of the light upon and passage thereof into the selected body portion at the place of light entry, in addition to using the nominal optical distance determined for each of said certain optical probe locations to also condition the data for light energy received by said other optical probe member at such locations;
• and mutually comparing the conditioned light energy data determined for the selected location on the selected body portion of one such living being with like conditioned data obtained at like locations on the like selected body portion of other such living individuals.

An optical probe for use in apparatus for obtaining physiological condition data from selected body portions of individual subjects, comprising:

• a generally rigid body defining a laterally-enclosed internal space and having a generally tubular nosecone at a forward end adapted to contact said selected body portions in light-sealing relation, a generally planar partition member disposed diametrically across said nosecone at a position spaced inward from the end extremity thereof, thereby walling off said internal space and providing a projecting tubularly-enclosed area;
• a septum extending forwardly from said partition member and dividing said tubularly-enclosed area;
• said nosecone, partition member and septum being substantially impervious to infrared and near infrared light, and having surfaces within said tubularly-enclosed area of diffusely-reflecting material;
• at least one light-detector means disposed at least partially within said tubularly-enclosed area and adjacent said septum;
• and signal-carrying cable means coupled to said light-detector means for transmitting light-reception signals therefrom, said cable means extending out of said body.