title: In vitro optical characterization and discrimination of female breast tissue during near infrared femtosecond laser pulses propagation.
abstract: Ultrashort infrared laser pulses were transmitted through excised female breast tissue. The resulted signal was recorded by a streak camera with a time resolution of the order of a few ps. Experimental data of the temporal spread of the ultrashort pulse during the transmission through the tissue have been analyzed using the Patterson analytical expression derived from the diffusion theory. This resulted in the calculation of the absorption and reduced scattering coefficients, which are related to the optical characteristics of each type of tissue. The goal of the study was to use the theoretical values of the coefficients to discriminate different kinds of tissue.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Laser and Applications Division, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FO.R.T.H.-IESL), P.O. Box 1527, 711 10 Heraklion, Crete, Greece. zahari@iesl.forth.gr
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zacharakis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zolindaki
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sakkalis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Filippidis
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Papazoglou
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Tsiftsis
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koumantakis
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007259:Infrared Rays; D007834:Lasers; D008327:Mammography / Q000379:methods*