Photon migration through fetal head in utero using continuous wave, near infrared spectroscopy: Clinical and experimental model studies

Near infrared (NIR) measurements are made from the maternal abdomen and laboratory tissue phantoms to gain insight into photon migration through the fetal head in utero. At a large source-detector separation, the photons are expected to migrate through the superficial maternal tissues before being detected. Similar NIR measurements are made on laboratory tissue phantoms, with variable optical properties and physical geometries. The variable optical properties are obtained using different concentrations of India ink and Intralipid in water, while the variable physical geometries are realized by employing glass containers of different shapes and sizes.