System and method for detecting content in-vivo

• US 20070076930A1
• Filed: 02/22/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Given Imaging Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Given Imaging Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Zinaty, Ofra, Lewkowicz, Shlomo, Buzaglo, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 7,577,283 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging

Abstract

A system and method for detecting in-vivo content, may include an in-vivo imaging device for capturing a stream of image frames in a GI tract, a content detector for detecting and/or identifying one or more image frames from the stream of image streams that may show content, and a graphical user interface (GUI) to display image frames detected.

Claims

1. A method for determining the presence of content in-vivo, the method comprising:

capturing a plurality of image frames of a gastrointestinal tract;

identifying content in at least one image frame; and

calculating a cleanliness index for the plurality of image frames.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content is feces.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising calculating the percentage of image frames having content from the plurality of image frames.

4. The method according to claim 1 comprising displaying the cleanliness index in numerical format.

5. The method according to claim 1 comprising selecting a subset of image frames from the plurality of image frames.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the selecting is performed by a user.

7. The method according to claim 1, comprising inserting an autonomous imaging device in-vivo.

8. The method according to claim 1, comprising tracking a location at which at least the subset of images is captured.

9. A system for detecting in-vivo content, the system comprising:

an imaging device to capture a plurality of image frames;

a processing unit configured calculate a cleanliness index of at least a subset of the plurality of image frames;

a display to display the plurality of image frames and a cleanliness index at least the subset of the plurality of image frames.

10. The system according to claim 9 comprising an external receiving device, wherein the processing unit is included in an external receiving device and wherein the external receiving device is to receive data wirelessly from the imaging device.

11. The system according to claim 9 wherein the processing unit is integral to a workstation.

12. The system according to claim 9 comprising a user input device for selecting a subset of the plurality of image frames.

13. The system according to claim 9 wherein the imaging device is an autonomous in-vivo device in the form of a capsule.

14. The system according to claim 9 wherein the display is included in a workstation.

15. A method for determining the presence of a pathology in-vivo, the method comprising:

capturing a plurality of image frames of a gastrointestinal tract;

identifying an indication of the pathology in at least one image frame; and

calculating a pathology index for the plurality of image frames.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein the pathology index, is a blood index.

17. The method according to claim 15 wherein the pathology index is a polyp index.