Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 13, 2026

Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy: Getting the Capillary Refill Test Under One's Thumb
Published on: December 2, 2017
Spatially resolved diffuse reflectance spectroscopy endoscopic sensing with custom Si photodetectors
Ben Lariviere1, Katherine S Garman2, N Lynn Ferguson3
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, 101 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
Abstract:
Early detection and surveillance of disease progression in epithelial tissue is key to improving long term patient outcomes for colon and esophageal cancers, which account for nearly a quarter of cancer related mortalities worldwide. Spatially resolved diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (SRDRS) is a non-invasive optical technique to sense biological changes at the cellular and sub-cellular level that occur when normal tissue becomes diseased, and has the potential to significantly improve the current standard of care for endoscopic gastrointestinal (GI) screening. Herein the design, fabrication, and characterization of the first custom SRDRS device to enable endoscopic SRDRS GI tissue characterization using a custom silicon (Si) thin film multi-pixel endoscopic optical sensor (MEOS) is described.
Related Concept Videos
The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) Infrared Spectroscopy: Overview
The ATR process begins by directing a beam...
Diffusion
Diffusion
Reflection of Waves
Introduction to Special Senses

