Theoretical and Experimental Investigations of Elastic Scattering Spectroscopy as a Potential Diagnostic for Tissue Pathologies

The spectral distribution of the diffuse reflectance of five sizes of polystyrene microspheres has been measured with an elastic scatter spectrometer designed for optical biopsy of living tissue. The microsphere sizes are representative of the suspected scattering centers in living tissue. The experiment data are discussed and interpreted in the framework of Mie scattering theory and Monte-Carlo transport analysis. Present results support the assertion that Mie theory is necessary to describe the spectral features of elastic scatter spectroscopy in tissue.