Generation of spatially-averaged excitation-emission map in heterogeneous tissue

• US 20010046045A1
• Filed: 02/20/2001
• Published: 11/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cercacor Laboratories
• Original Assignee: Argose, Inc.
• Inventors: Pierre, Trepagnier, Dong, Tian Wei
• Granted Patent: US 6,597,932 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/317
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6417 Spectrofluorimetric devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6419 Excitation at two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6423 Spectral mapping, video display
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6484 Optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6456 Spatial resolved fluorescence measurements; Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6486 Measuring fluorescence of biological material, e.g. DNA, RNA, cells G01N21/6428 takes precedence

Abstract

An instrument for evaluating fluorescence of a heterogeneous tissue includes means for exciting a two-dimensional portion of the tissue surface with excitation radiation at a plurality of excitation wavelengths, means for collecting emission radiation from the two-dimensional portion of the tissue surface simultaneously with excitation of the portion, and means for forming a two-dimensional excitation-emission map of the excitation radiation and the simultaneously collected emission radiation and spatially averaging the excitation and emission radiation.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating fluorescence of a heterogeneous tissue comprising:

exciting a two-dimensional portion of the tissue surface with excitation radiation at a plurality of excitation wavelengths;

collecting emission radiation from said two-dimensional portion of the tissue surface simultaneously with excitation of said portion; and

forming a two-dimensional excitation-emission map of said excitation radiation and said simultaneously collected emission radiation and spatially averaging said excitation and emission radiation.

2. An instrument for evaluating fluorescence of a heterogeneous tissue comprising:

means for exciting a two-dimensional portion of the tissue surface with excitation radiation at a plurality of excitation wavelengths;

means for collecting emission radiation from said two-dimensional portion of the tissue surface simultaneously with excitation of said portion; and

means for forming a two-dimensional excitation-emission map of said excitation radiation and said simultaneously collected emission radiation and spatially averaging said excitation and emission radiation.

3. A method of rapidly gathering UV and visible fluorescence spectra in vivo spatially averaged over tissue, said method comprising the steps of:

illuminating strips of tissue with excitation radiation simultaneously at a plurality of excitation wavelengths;

collecting emission radiation simultaneously from said strips of tissue with the step of illuminating with said plurality of excitation wavelengths; and

disposing said emission radiation onto a two-dimensional array of detector elements, wherein said two-dimensional detector disposition is arranged by wavelength to form a two-dimensional excitation-emission map, in which all elements in said map are collected at once.

4. An instrument for rapidly gathering UV and visible fluorescence spectra in vivo spatially averaged over tissue, said method comprising:

means for illuminating strips of tissue with excitation radiation simultaneously at a plurality of excitation wavelengths;

means for collecting emission radiation simultaneously from said strips of tissue with the step of illuminating with said plurality of excitation wavelengths; and

means for disposing said emission radiation onto a two-dimensional array of detector elements, wherein said two-dimensional detector disposition is arranged by wavelength to form a two-dimensional excitation-emission map, in which all elements in said map are collected at once.

5. A common fiber optic head comprising:

a plurality of excitation fiber optic bundles, wherein each excitation fiber optic bundle comprises one or more excitation fibers;

a plurality of emission fiber optic bundles, wherein each emission fiber optic bundle comprises one or more emission fibers; and

wherein distal ends of said fiber optic bundles are disposed in a two-dimensional array.

6. The common fiber optic head of

claim 5

, wherein said two-dimensional array consists of n rows and n columns,

said distal ends of said excitation fiber optic bundles are disposed in all elements of every odd or even column, but not both, and

said distal ends of said emission fiber optic bundles are disposed in all elements of every odd or even column, not occupied by said excitation fiber optic bundles.

7. The common fiber optic head of

claim 5

, wherein each of said fiber optic bundles contains 20 or more optic fibers.

8. The common fiber optic head of

claim 6

, wherein each of said excitation fibers carries excitation light having a wavelength between 250-550 nm.

9. The common fiber optic head of

claim 8

, wherein each column of said excitation fibers carries excitation light having a unique wavelength.

10. The common fiber optic head of

claim 5

, wherein said fiber optic bundles are spaced at least 0.5 mm apart.

11. The common fiber optic head of

claim 5

, wherein said emission fibers collect fluorescence emitted from a sample exposed to said excitation light.

12. A system comprising:

said common fiber optic head of

claim 5

;

an excitation radiation source; and

an emission radiation detector.

13. The system of

claim 12

further comprising means for generating a two-dimensional excitation and emission radiation map in which all elements in said map are gathered at once.