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Diaphanography: mechanism responsible for the images
Acta Radiologica. Oncology
|January 1, 1982
Summary
Breast tissue color observed during transillumination is primarily determined by blood density, not pathology. Red blood cell concentration influences tissue coloration in vivo.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical optics
- Pathology
- Medical imaging
Background:
- Spectrophotometry of female breast tissue samples showed no direct correlation between light transmission and pathology.
- Thicker tissue samples transmitted less light, a general physical property.
- All samples exhibited absorption minima characteristic of oxyhaemoglobin.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the primary factor responsible for the observed colors of breast tissues and pathologies during in vivo transillumination.
- To determine if blood density, rather than tissue pathology, dictates breast tissue color.
Main Methods:
- Spectrophotometry of surgical breast tissue samples.
- In vivo transillumination with white light.
- Infrared color photography of transilluminated samples.
- Spectrophotometry of blood samples diluted in normal saline.
Main Results:
- No clear correlation was found between the transmission coefficient of breast tissue and its pathological status.
- Absorption minima corresponding to oxyhaemoglobin were consistently observed in all tissue samples.
- Observed colors of breast tissues and pathologies during transillumination correlated with red blood cell concentration.
Conclusions:
- The density of red blood cells in breast tissue is the main determinant of its color during transillumination.
- Blood concentration, not necessarily pathology, explains the variations in breast tissue color observed in vivo.
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