ACA-Pro: calibration protocol for quantitative diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Validation on contact and noncontact...

We have developed an adaptive calibration algorithm and protocol (ACA-Pro) that corrects from the instrumental response of various spatially resolved diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRSsr) systems to enable the quantification of absorption and scattering properties based on a Monte Carlo-based look-up-table approach. The protocol involves the use of a calibration reference base built with measurements of a range of different diffusive intralipid phantoms. Moreover, an advanced strategy was established to take into account the experimental variations with an additional measurement of a common solid material, allowing the use of a single calibration reference base for all experiments. The ACA-Pro is validated in contact and noncontact probe-based DRSsr systems. Furthermore, the first results of a setup replacing the probe with a CCD detector are shown to confirm the robustness of the approach.