Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the classification of tissue from the lumbar region, using an ultrasonic transducer array comprising a control device, at least one light source with a small spectral width in a wavelength range above 500 nm, at least one light detector, and a process computer for processing the measuring values of the light detector. According to the invention, the light detector detects only backscattered light from the tissue, the ultrasonic transducer array injects focussed ultrasounds into the tissue during the illumination thereof, and the process computer isolates the contribution of the ultrasound focus of the scattered light from the total light intensity measured by the light detector and calculates optical parameters therefrom for the tissue in the ultrasound focus. The process computer derives a characteristic variable from the calculated parameters, which is optimised in terms of a pre-determined optimality criterion, by controlling the control device in such a way that the position of the ultrasound focus is modified in the tissue according to said process computer, and the process computer compares the optical parameters in the optimum position of the ultrasound focus with a stored data table, thus being able to classify the tissue.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim