Method and apparatus for noninvasive targeting

• US 20060206018A1
• Filed: 03/03/2006
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sensys Medical, Inc. (Sensys Medical Limited)
• Original Assignee: Sensys Medical, Inc. (Sensys Medical Limited)
• Inventors: Abul-Haj, Alan, Hazen, Kevin H., Blank, Thomas B., Henderson, James Ryan, Ruchti, Timothy, Hope, Josh
• Application Number:
  US11/368,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20060206018A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/316
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0242 for varying or adjusting the optical path length in the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/146 for optical coupling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1495 Calibrating or testing of in-vivo probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00

Abstract

The invention relates to noninvasive sampling. In one embodiment, the invention relates to a sample probe interface method and apparatus for targeting a tissue depth and/or pathlength that is used in conjunction with a noninvasive analyzer to control spectral variation. In a second embodiment, a signal from a sample or target probe of a tissue feature or volume is used in positioning a portion of a measuring system relative to the sample. The system is optionally used in conjunction with a targeting system used to control the sampling location of the measuring system.

Claims

1. An apparatus for noninvasive determination of a property of a skin tissue, comprising:

means for generating a feedback signal representative of at least one internal layer of said tissue, wherein said feedback signal represents an extracted feature;

means for adjusting a measurement system to enhance targeting of said tissue layer through use of said feedback signal;

means for collecting a near-infrared measurement signal using said measurement system, wherein said measurement signal is representative of said at least said tissue layer; and

a chemometric module for for deriving said property of said tissue from said measurement signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means for collecting a feedback signal is integrated into said measurement system.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said property comprises a glucose concentration.

4. A method for noninvasively determining an analyte property of a tissue sample, comprising the steps of:

collecting a feedback targeting signal with a targeting system, wherein said targeting signal represents at least one extracted feature;

adjusting an optical measuring system position using said feedback targeting signal;

noninvasively collecting at least one near-infrared spectrum of said tissue sample using said adjusted optical measuring system; and

chemometrically determining said analyte property from said at least one spectrum.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said extracted feature is representative of at least one subsurface tissue layer of said tissue sample.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said extracted feature comprises:

a measurement of tissue strain.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein said extracted feature comprises any of:

a chemical feature;

a physical feature; and

a measure of scattering.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein said extracted feature comprises any of:

a manmade target;

a natural tissue component;

a fluorescent marker;

a marking feature added to the skin;

a skin surface feature;

and

a tissue morphology.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein said extracted feature comprises:

an abstract feature.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein said measuring system samples at least a tissue layer having an analyte concentration exceeding an average concentration of said analyte in all of said tissue sample.

11. A method for noninvasive analyte property determination of a blood borne constituent within a tissue, comprising the steps of:

generating a signal representative of a subsurface feature of said tissue;

dynamically adjusting optics of a noninvasive analyzer, with said signal representative of said subsurface feature;

noninvasively collecting a spectrum of said tissue with said adjusted noninvasive analyzer; and

chemometrically determining said analyte property of said blood borne constituent from said spectrum.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said noninvasive analyzer comprises a near-infrared spectrometer and said analyte property comprises a glucose concentration.

13. A method for noninvasively determining a glucose concentration of a blood/tissue sample, comprising the steps of:

generating a feedback targeting signal with a targeting system;

adjusting an optical measuring system position using said feedback targeting signal;

noninvasively collecting at least one near-infrared spectrum of said tissue sample using said adjusted optical measuring system; and

chemometrically determining said glucose concentration from said at least one spectrum.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of adjusting controls average depth of penetration into said tissue sample of detected photons.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of adjusting targets an average optical pathlength of detected photons.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said feedback signal represents an extracted feature;

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said extracted feature comprises at least a portion of any of:

a water band;

a fat band; and

a protein band.

step of determining

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said extracted feature represents light scattering.