Device for examining tissue using light

• US 20040152976A1
• Filed: 03/12/2004
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Hengerer, Arne, Mertelmeier, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US10/469,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20040152976A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/431
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0091 for mammography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/415 the glands, e.g. tonsils, adenoids or thymus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/418 lymph vessels, ducts or nodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4312 Breast evaluation or disorder diagnosis A61B5/0091 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for examining tissue using light and involving the use of a fluorescent contrast medium. Said device comprises a hand-held applicator (1) with an application surface (3), which contains at least one light exit zone (8) for excitation light and at least one light entry zone (9) for fluorescent light. Said zones are arranged in such a manner that the direction of detection of the fluorescent light is counter to the direction of the primary diffusion of the excitation light.

Claims

1. A device for examining tissue using light with the aid of a fluorescent contrast agent, having

a) a photoemission unit with at least one light source which emits excitation light, which comprises light with a wavelength that stimulates the respective contrast agent to emit fluorescent light with a fluorescence wavelength, and with at least one light exit zone for the excitation light per light source,

b) a photodetection unit with at least one light detector for detecting fluorescent light, which delivers output signals corresponding to the detected light, at least one light entry zone for fluorescent light being provided per light detector,

c) a hand-held applicator which contains at least the light exit zone(s) and at least the light entry zone(s), which are arranged in such a way that the detection direction of the fluorescent light is directed counter to the principal propagation direction of the excitation light, and

d) an evaluation unit which determines the intensity of the received fluorescent light from the output signal of the photodetector.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, whose photodetector unit comprises a plurality of matricially arranged light entry zones.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which a light exit zone is assigned to each light entry zone.

4. The device as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, whose applicator contains the light source(s) of the photoemission unit.

5. The device as claimed in one of claims 1 to 4, whose applicator contains the light detector(s) of the photodetection unit.

6. The device as claimed in one of claims 1 to 5, whose light exit zone(s) and light entry zone(s) are arranged in an at least substantially square application face, whose side lengths are dimensioned in such a way that, for a fraction of more than 75% of all women, a mamma of a woman occupying a supine position is fully detectable by four at least mutually adjacent positions of the application face, which form an at least substantially square arrangement.

7. The device as claimed in claim 6, whose application face has a side length of 80 mm.

8. The device as claimed in one of claims 1 to 7, which has means for delivering the contrast agent.

9. A method for operating a device as claimed in one of claims 1 to 8, in which an optical coupling fluid is arranged between the light source and light detector, on the one hand, and the surface of the tissue to be examined, on the other hand.