Optimal wavelengths for optoacoustic measurements of blood oxygen saturation in biological tissues.

The non-invasive measurement of blood oxygen saturation in blood vessels is a promising clinical application of optoacoustic imaging. Nevertheless, precise optoacoustic measurements of blood oxygen saturation are limited because of the complexities of calculating the spatial distribution of the optical fluence. In the paper error in the determination of blood oxygen saturation, associated with the use of approximate methods of optical fluence evaluation within the blood vessel, was investigated for optoacoustic measurements at two wavelengths. The method takes into account both acoustic pressure noise and the error in determined values of the optical scattering and absorption coefficients used for the calculation of the fluence. It is shown that, in conditions of an unknown (or partially known) spatial distribution of fluence at depths of 2 to 8 mm, minimal error in the determination of blood oxygen saturation is achieved at wavelengths of 658 ± 40 nm and 1069 ± 40 nm.