Paper Title
Investigation Of Bowel Perforation Detection Using Fluorescent Chlorophyll Derivatives

Abstract
Chlorophyll derivatives that abundantly exist in food plants show bright emission bands at long wavelength regime (>650 nm) than those of auto-fluorescence of bio-tissues or -organs. In bowel perforation, intestinal fluids, which show bright and long wavelength regime emissions of chlorophyll derivatives, may leak from perforation sites. In order to examine a feasibility of fluorescence spectroscopy to be utilized as a real-time bio-sensor without using contrast agents for monitoring bowel perforation, we comparatively analyzed fluorescence obtained from intestinal and peritoneal fluids of mouse and rat models administered with alfalfa free feed known to minimize auto-fluorescence and improve imaging clarity. In addition, we analyzed samples from human patients who underwent surgery for small bowel resection and checked sensitivities of the device with various concentrations of intestinal fluids in peritoneal fluids. Fluorescence measurements were conducted using a portable optical-fiber-coupled fluorescence spectrometer equipped with Nd:YAG laser operating at 532 nm and photodiode-array-typed spectral analyzer. Compared to bare peritoneal fluids and bio-tissues or �organs, perforated intestine sites contaminated with intestinal contents show brighter (increased in intensity by factor of >8) and long wavelength regime fluorescence bands at ~680 and ~720 nm, which are assigned to fluorescence bands of pheophytin (chlorophyll derivative). Keywords- Bowel perforation, Chlorophyll, Fluorescence spectroscopy.