Tissue measurement using 1064 nm dispersive Raman spectroscopy

The use of Raman spectroscopy to provide characterization and diagnosis of biological tissues has shown increasing success in recent years. Most of this work has been performed using near-infrared laser sources such as 785 or 830 nm, in a balance of reduced intrinsic fluorescence in the tissues and quantum efficiency in the silicon detectors often used. However, even at these wavelengths, many tissues still exhibit strong or prohibitive fluorescence, and these wavelengths still cause autofluorescence in many common sampling materials, such as glass. In this study, we demonstrate the use of 1064 nm dispersive Raman spectroscopy for the study of biological tissues. A number of tissues are evaluated using the 1064 nm system and compared with the spectra obtained from a 785 nm system. Sampling materials are similarly compared. These results show that 1064 nm dispersive Raman spectroscopy provides a viable solution for measurement of highly fluorescent biological tissues such as liver and kidney, which are difficult or impossible to extract Raman at 785 nm.