title: Tissue phantom for optical diagnostics based on a suspension of microspheres with a fractal size distribution.
abstract: We demonstrate experimentally the possibility of reproducing the phase function, absorption, and scattering coefficients of a real biological tissue (adult brain white matter and liver) using a suspension of polystyrene microspheres with a fractal size distribution. The design of a light scattering goniometer with a cylindrical cell in air is discussed, and phase function measurements using the device are described. The scattering coefficient is measured using transmission spectrophotometry and the absorption and reduced scattering coefficients are measured using a time-resolved method. A good match between real tissue and phantom parameters is demonstrated.
authors.affiliation: Universidade do Algarve, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Departamento de Física, Campus de Gambelas, 8000-139 Faro, Portugal.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Passos
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hebden
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guerra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D003102:Colloids; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D017709:Fractals; D006801:Humans; D008863:Microspheres; D010316:Particle Size; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids