Development of a platform for broadband, spectra-fitted, tissue optical phantoms

Significance Current methods of producing optical phantoms are incapable of accurately capturing the wavelength-dependent properties of tissue critical for many optical modalities.Aim We aim to introduce a method of producing solid, inorganic phantoms whose wavelength-dependent optical properties can be matched to those of tissue over the wavelength range of 370 to 950 nm.Approach The concentration-dependent optical properties of 20 pigments were characterized and used to determine combinations that result in optimal fits compared to the target properties over the full spectrum. Phantoms matching the optical properties of muscle and nerve, the diffuse reflectance of pale and melanistic skin, and the chromophore concentrations of a computational skin model with varying oxygen saturation (StO(2)) were made with this method.Results Both optical property phantoms were found to accurately mimic their respective tissues' absorption and scattering properties across the entire spectrum. The diffuse reflectance phantoms were able to closely approximate skin reflectance regardless of skin type. All three computational skin phantoms were found to have emulated chromophore concentrations close to the model, with an average percent error for the StO(2) of 4.31%.Conclusions This multipigment phantom platform represents a powerful tool for creating spectrally accurate tissue phantoms, which should increase the availability of standards for many optical techniques.