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Abstract

An apparatus for measuring blood flow in which an optical system guides a coherent light beam to impinge on a stationary measurement spot of a measurement plane of an in vivo tissue. A light-receiving optical system focuses a light image of the measurement plane in the vicinity of an image point conjugate with the stationary measurement spot. The light-receiving optical system shares at least part of the optical components of the guiding optical system. Photodetectors are disposed at prescribed positions perpendicular to the optical axis of the light-receiving optical system, and in the vicinity of the image point, for measuring light scattered from the in vivo tissue to provide blood flow information. The blood flow information is related to blood flowing at a depth within the in vivo tissue. A visible image of the measurement plane is converted into a video image. The blood flow information corresponding to the position of the stationary measurement spot is superimposed on the video image and displayed to obtain a composite visible image.

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