We have developed a theoretical model for photon migration through scattering media in the presence of an absorbing inhomogeneity. A closed-form solution for the average diffuse intensity has been obtained through an iterative approximation scheme of the steady-state diffusion equation. The model describes absorbing defects in a wide range of values. Comparisons with the results of Monte Carlo simulations show that the error of the model is lower than 3% for size inclusion lower than 4 mm and absorption contrast up to the threshold value of the "black defect." The proposed model provides a tractable mathematical basis for diffuse optical and photoacoustic tomographic reconstruction techniques.
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