P-45 Simulation of light propagation in skin and subcutaneous blood vessels

Buller Hallway

The vein visualization system projects an image of subcutaneous veins by using the discovery that near-infrared (NIR) light, at certain frequencies, passes through and transmits back out of the skin tissue except at the blood vessels. We aim to understand the light propagation in tissue and improve the function by using computational models to interpret changes in properties of the subject, such as skin pigmentation, and settings on the device, such as light frequency. We also look to decrease error, as a result of the geometry of veins and the multiple layers of skin. A finite-element model implementing the diffusion approximation of the radiation transfer equation fulfills the role in part, but questions of boundary conditions and the description of the source need clarification.