Optical Diagnostics: Biomedical Applications

Optical diagnostics is a specialized field of diagnostics that makes use of optical imaging. It is a technique that enables medical practitioners to look inside the body in a non-invasive manner. Optical imaging makes use of visible light and the special properties of photons to obtain detailed images of organs, tissues, cells and molecules. Optical diagnostics help in diagnosing various pathological disorders of biological tissues. There are several biomedical applications of optical diagnostics. The major advantage of optical imaging is that it offers minimally invasive or non-invasive methods for looking inside the body. Optical diagnostics also reduces a patient's exposure to harmful radiation. It can be used to measure metabolic changes that can act as early indicators of abnormal functioning of organs and tissues. A combination of optical imaging with other imaging techniques like MRI or X-rays can provide enhanced information to monitor complex diseases. The objective of this book is to give a general view of optical diagnostics and its biomedical applications. Researchers and students in this field will be assisted by this book.