Optical classification of bruises

Lise Lyngsnes Randeberg; Andreas M. Winnem; Sandra Blindheim; Olav A Haugen; Lars O. Svaasand

doi:10.1117/12.538045

13 July 2004 Optical classification of bruises

Lise Lyngsnes Randeberg, Andreas M. Winnem, Sandra Blindheim, Olav A Haugen, Lars O. Svaasand

Proceedings Volume 5312, Lasers in Surgery: Advanced Characterization, Therapeutics, and Systems XIV; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.538045
Event: Biomedical Optics 2004, 2004, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

Determining the age of injuries is an important aspect of forensic medicine. Currently, visual inspection and colorimetric measurements are the most common techniques used to assess the age of bruises on a victim's body. Bruises are caused by trauma to the skin and vasculature, and the color will depend on the age, depth, and anatomic site of the hemorrhage. Breakdown products of hemoglobin e.g. biliverdin and bilirubin possess various colors, which can be determined spectrometrically. This study presents reflection spectra collected from bruises in otherwise healthy subjects. A total of 73 spectra of 25 bruises were measured on 13 individuals in the 400-850 nm wavelength region. All injuries were caused by sports activities such as judo and soccer. The bruises were classified according to visual appearance, bilirubin content, oxygenation, and age of the injury. Only bruises with known age and cause were included in the study. Spectral changes of each hematoma were recorded over several days. Preliminary results show large variation in the spectra, caused by differences in age and depth of the bruises. This data may provide a basis for developing an algorithm to determine the age of injuries in e.g. child abuse cases.

Citation Download Citation

Lise Lyngsnes Randeberg, Andreas M. Winnem, Sandra Blindheim, Olav A Haugen, and Lars O. Svaasand "Optical classification of bruises", Proc. SPIE 5312, Lasers in Surgery: Advanced Characterization, Therapeutics, and Systems XIV, (13 July 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.538045

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