Sized-fiber reflectometry for measuring local optical properties

Sized-fiber spectroscopy describes a device and method for measuring absorption and reduced scattering properties of tissue using optical fibers with different diameters. The device used in this paper consists of two fibers with diameters of 200 and 600 /spl mu/m. Each fiber emits and collects its own backscattered light. Backscattered light measurements for solutions with absorption coefficients of 0.1-2.0 cm/sup -1/ and reduced scattering coefficients of 5-50 cm/sup -1/ demonstrate that the device is most sensitive for the highest scattering materials. Monte Carlo simulations suggest the device is insensitive to the fiber illumination characteristics and that the light returning to the fiber is nearly uniform over all directions. Finally, experiments and Monte Carlo simulations of the sized-fiber device indicate that 50% of the signal arises from roughly 1.2 and 1.9 reduced mean-free paths for the 200- and 600-/spl mu/m fibers, respectively.