Micro-scale compact device for in vivo medical diagnosis combining optical imaging and point fluorescence spectroscopy
First Claim
1. An apparatus for visually assessing and detecting abnormalities in biological tissue in vivo, the apparatus comprising:
- an emitter for emitting a light beam having an excitation wavelength suitable for causing biological tissue to emit fluorescence at an emission wavelength;
a detector for detecting the fluorescence;
a controller for controlling the emitter and detector;
a transmitter for transmitting data received from the detector to a remote receiver, the transmitter being controlled by the controller; and
a transport capsule for containing at least the emitter, the detector, the controller and the transmitter.
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for medical practitioners to detect the presence of abnormal cells including cancerous and pre-cancerous cells by using a transport capsule containing an imaging apparatus including UV sources and fluorescence detectors for obtaining images and fluorescence data of biological cells and tissue. The method includes the steps of scanning biological tissue using an ultra-violet (UV) source to obtain fluorescence data, transferring fluorescence data and/or images using a radio frequency (RF) or other suitable means to a personal computer (PC) system, analyzing the image and/or fluorescence data in the PC, identifying -tissues with precancerous and cancerous cells, and optionally determining their precise location, and assessing the accuracy of the calculated fluoroscopic images.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. An apparatus for visually assessing and detecting abnormalities in biological tissue in vivo, the apparatus comprising:
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an emitter for emitting a light beam having an excitation wavelength suitable for causing biological tissue to emit fluorescence at an emission wavelength;
a detector for detecting the fluorescence;
a controller for controlling the emitter and detector;
a transmitter for transmitting data received from the detector to a remote receiver, the transmitter being controlled by the controller; and
a transport capsule for containing at least the emitter, the detector, the controller and the transmitter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for visually assessing and detecting abnormalities in biological tissue in vivo using a capsule, the method comprising the steps of:
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emitting a light beam from the capsule having an excitation wavelength suitable for causing biological tissue to emit native fluorescence at an emission wavelength, the light beam being directed at the biological tissue and being formed by at least one emitter;
detecting the fluorescence from biological tissue using at least one detector; and
transmitting data related to the detected fluorescence to a remote receiver. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for receiving image and fluorescence data taken from biological tissue in vivo, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving data related to detected fluorescence from a capsule; and
processing the received data to determine a fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR).
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22. A Mobile terminal (MT) apparatus for receiving image data including fluorescence data for visually assessing and detecting abnormalities in biological tissue in vivo, the apparatus comprising:
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a receiver for receiving image and fluorescence data transmitted from a capsule device;
a processor for processing the image and fluorescence data received from the capsule device; and
a transmitter for transmitting the received image and fluorescence data.
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Specification