Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) is an optical technique that has found widespread use in patient monitoring and non-invasive medical diagnostics.

A light emitter projects specific wavelengths of near infrared light through the skin, illuminating tissues and organs beneath. Some of this light is absorbed by chromosphores such as hemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying blood cells) and cytochromes (membrane-bound proteins) in the blood and/or muscles. Light that is not absorbed is scattered, and a sensor measures changes in the concentrations of these chromophores within the tissues, providing useful clinical information.

NIRS can penetrate through several centimeters of tissue and has been successfully applied to the non-invasive study of skeletal muscle (for muscle perfusion and oxygenation), breast tissue (for tumor detection), and the brain (cerebral oxygenation) in human subjects. Urodynamix’s use of NIRS to diagnose and monitor the bladder is unique in the field of urology.

How NIRS works

• NIRS emitter projects near infrared light through the skin, illuminating the detrusor muscle of the bladder.

• Some of the light is absorbed by chromophores in the tissue (e.g. oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin and cytochromes) and some is scattered, with a small amount returning to a light detector.

• Bladder function is evaluated by continuously monitoring the concentrations of chromophores in the detrusor muscle during voiding. 

NIRS for Non-Invasive Urodynamics

• Urodynamix's NIRS technology for non-invasive urodynamic evaluation employs broadly accepted, safe and easy to use optical-sensors, which is expected to facilitate the rapid adoption of this new diagnostic device by providers (doctors and hospitals).

• NIRS devices are portable and may be operated in a variety of primary and acute care settings, from general practice to specialized diagnostic urology clinics. 

• NIRS will increasingly allow urodynamic studies to be performed in primary care settings, reducing the cost burden on health care systems.

• Numerous clinical studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of NIRS for non-invasive testing and diagnosis of bladder disease and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). 

• Urodynamix believes this technology will become the standard of care in urodynamic testing (UDS)* and replace the current invasive dual-catheterization procedure.

* UDS® is a registered trademark of Laborie Medical Technologies.