Cited by 4,008Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy TechniquesSpectroscopy Techniques in Biomedical and Chemical ResearchOptical Coherence Tomography Applications

Optical properties of biological tissues: A review

Open access
Jacques, Steven L·2013·Physics in Medicine and Biology

Abstract

A review of reported tissue optical properties summarizes the wavelength-dependent behavior of scattering and absorption. Formulae are presented for generating the optical properties of a generic tissue with variable amounts of absorbing chromophores (blood, water, melanin, fat, yellow pigments) and a variable balance between small-scale scatterers and large-scale scatterers in the ultrastructures of cells and tissues.

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Crossref · 10.1088/0031-9155/58/11/r37

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  • The average scattering number density is 8.54 ± 1.4 and the average effective particle size is 0.75 ± 0.24.

    “For the scattering, the average number density (a) is 8.54 ± 1.4 and the average effective particle size (b) is 0.75 ± 0.24, for the relationship derived from the Mie model (Jacques 2013).”

    From Validation of a novel wearable, wireless technology to estimate oxygen levels and lactate threshold power in the exercising muscle (2018) · cites this paper as Jacques 2013

    Section 2 describes wavelength-dependent tissue-scattering models and defines a as the scattering coefficient at 500 nm and b as the wavelength-dependence exponent. Searches for both reported averages and for Mie-model particle density and size found no passage reporting 8.54 ± 1.4 or 0.75 ± 0.24. The copy therefore does not verify the attributed averages. (LLM, conf=0.76)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Obesity can lead to changes in skin thickness, blood flow, and oxygen saturation, affecting the optical properties of skin and the distance light has to travel to reach a target vessel.

    “In particular, obesity can lead to changes in skin thickness, blood flow, and oxygen saturation. This affects the optical properties of skin in addition to the distance light has to travel to reach a target vessel or vessels [48,59,60].”

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2 of the 74 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Anderson R R and Parrish J A 1982 Optical properties of human skin in The Science of Photomedicine ed J D Regan and J A Parrish (New York: Plenum Press) chapter 6, pp 147-94
  2. Moaveni M K 1970 A multiple scattering field theory applied to whole blood PhD Dissertation Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington

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Authors
Jacques, S. L.
Affiliations
Oregon Health & Science University (US)
Corresponding author
Jacques, Steven L
Venue
Physics in Medicine and Biology
Published
2013-05-10
Volume
58
Issue
11
Pages
R37-R61
ISSN
  • 0031-9155 (ISSN-L)
  • 1361-6560
OpenAlex
W2097683070
Cited by
4,008
References
74
Citations by year
2026: 350 · 2025: 346 · 2024: 313 · 2023: 332 · 2022: 323 · 2021: 362 · 2020: 363 · 2019: 383 · 2018: 320 · 2017: 299 · 2016: 272 · 2015: 217 · 2014: 107 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 2
FWCI
28.94
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Physics in Medicine and Biology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy Techniques
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biophysics › Spectroscopy Techniques in Biomedical and Chemical Research
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Optical Coherence Tomography Applications
Keywords
tissue optical properties, light scattering, optical absorption, chromophores, blood, melanin, fats, wavelength dependence, cell ultrastructure
MeSH terms
Animals, Biology, Humans, Anisotropy, Optical Phenomena

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