Apparatus and method for spectroscopic examination of the colon
First Claim
1. An endoscopic device for spectroscopically examining a hollow body organ, comprising:
- an elongated body having a plurality of articulatable segments and a steerable distal portion, wherein each of the segments are configurable to assume a selected shape along an arbitrary path when the elongated body is advanced distally or proximally; and
a spectroscopic assembly having an illumination device and an image capture device adapted to receive an incident light reflected from a wall of the hollow body organ, wherein the spectroscopic assembly is positioned near or at a distal portion of the elongated body.
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Abstract
Apparatus and methods for spectroscopic examination of the colon are described herein. A spectroscopy device comprising an illumination device and an image capture device is integrated directly into a steerable endoscope or colonoscope. Alternatively, the spectroscopy device and the steerable colonoscope can be separate instruments that are functionally combined for performing endoscopic spectroscopy. The steerable colonoscope uses serpentine motion to facilitate rapid and safe insertion of the colonoscope into the patient'"'"'s colon, which allows the endoscopic spectroscopy method to be performed more quickly and more safely. The spectroscopy can be performed by autofluorescence, dye-enhanced fluorescence or any other known spectroscopy techniques. Other imaging technologies that use light with a wavelength outside of the visible range may also be used. The reflected light information can be used to create a three-dimensional mathematical model of the patient'"'"'s colon and the location of any lesions identified during the initial examination.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An endoscopic device for spectroscopically examining a hollow body organ, comprising:
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an elongated body having a plurality of articulatable segments and a steerable distal portion, wherein each of the segments are configurable to assume a selected shape along an arbitrary path when the elongated body is advanced distally or proximally; and
a spectroscopic assembly having an illumination device and an image capture device adapted to receive an incident light reflected from a wall of the hollow body organ, wherein the spectroscopic assembly is positioned near or at a distal portion of the elongated body. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of spectroscopically examining a hollow body organ, comprising:
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positioning an elongated body having a plurality of articulatable segments and a steerable distal portion within the hollow body organ without impinging upon the hollow body organ;
illuminating an interior surface of the hollow body organ with an illumination device positioned upon a distal portion of the elongated body;
receiving a reflected light from the interior surface of the hollow body organ with an image capture device positioned upon the distal portion; and
processing the reflected light relayed by the image capture device. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification