OPTICALLY EXCITED ACOUSTIC WAVE DETECTOR AND OPTICALLY EXCITED FLUORESCEIN DETECTOR SUITABLE FOR MEASURING PHYSICAL PROPERTY OF CARTILAGE TISSUE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a detector capable of measuring physical properties of a biological tissue, especially a cartilage tissue, in a living body without destroying the tissue. SOLUTION: The optically excited acoustic wave detector is obtained by combining: a laser beam generation source; a laser beam emitter whose one end is attached closely to the laser beam generation source and the other end of which contains an optical fiber for laser beam transmission having a laser beam emission surface; an acoustic wave detection and conversion means which has a detecting surface of an acoustic wave generated by exciting laser beams and converting the acoustic wave detected by the detecting surface to an electric signal; and an acoustic wave detector electrically connected with the conversion means. The laser beam emission surface of the optical fiber and the acoustic wave detection surface of the acoustic wave detection and conversion means are fixed to a tip end surface of a separately prepared supporting tool in a positional relation decided in advance. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO