PROCESS, ARRANGEMENTS AND SYSTEMS FOR PROVIDING FREQUENCY DOMAIN IMAGING OF A SAMPLE

• US 20070276269A1
• Filed: 05/04/2007
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yun, Seok-Hyun, De Boer, Johannes F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,175,685 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/504
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0025 characterised by electronic signal processing, e.g. eye models
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/102 for optical coherence tomography [OCT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/1233 for measuring blood flow, e.g. at the retina
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/14 Arrangements specially adapted for eye photography apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0066 Optical coherence imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/418 lymph vessels, ducts or nodes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/45 using interferometric methods; using Schlieren methods
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/4795 spatially resolved investigating of object in scattering medium in vivo A61B

Abstract

Apparatus, arrangement and method are provided for obtaining information associated with an anatomical structure or a sample using optical microscopy. For example, a radiation can be provided which includes at least one first electromagnetic radiation directed to be provided to an anatomical sample and at least one second electro-magnetic radiation directed to a reference. A wavelength of the radiation can vary over time, and the wavelength is shorter than approximately 1150 nm. An interference can be detected between at least one third radiation associated with the first radiation and at least one fourth radiation associated with the second radiation. At least one image corresponding to at least one portion of the sample can be generated using data associated with the interference. In addition, at least one source arrangement can be provided which is configured to provide an electromagnetic radiation which has a wavelength that varies over time. A period of a variation of the wavelength of the first electromagnetic radiation can be shorter than 1 millisecond, and the wavelength is shorter than approximately 1150 nm.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one first arrangement configured to provide a radiation which includes at least one first electromagnetic radiation directed to an anatomical sample and at least one second electromagnetic radiation directed to a reference, wherein a wavelength of the radiation provided by the at least one first arrangement varies over time, and the wavelength is shorter than approximately 1150 nm;

at least one second arrangement capable of detecting an interference between at least one third radiation associated with the at least one first radiation and at least one fourth radiation associated with the at least one second radiation; and

at least one third arrangement capable of generating at least one image corresponding to at least one portion of the sample using data associated with the interference.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a period of a variation of the wavelength of the at least one first electromagnetic radiation is shorter than 1 millisecond.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the anatomical sample includes at least one section of the posterior segment of an eye.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the at least one section includes at least one of a retina, a choroid, an optic nerve, or a fovea.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wavelength is shorter than approximately 950 nm.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wavelength varies by at least 10 nm over a period of a variation of the wavelength of the at least one first electromagnetic radiation.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one fourth arrangement which is capable of scanning the at least one first electromagnetic radiation laterally across the anatomical sample.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one image is associated with the anatomical structure of the sample.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the at least one image is further associated with at least one of a blood or a lymphatic flow in the sample.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one third arrangement is capable of (i) obtaining at least one signal associated with at least one phase of at least one frequency component of the interference signal over less than an entire sweep of the wavelength, and (ii) comparing the at least one phase to at least one particular information.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the at least one particular information is associated with a further signal obtained from a sweep of the wavelength that is different from the sweep of the wavelength of the at least one signal.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the at least one particular information is a constant.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the at least one particular information is associated with at least one phase of at least one further frequency component of the interference signal over less than an entire sweep of the wavelength, and wherein the frequency components are different from one another.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one third arrangement is capable of generating a two-dimensional fundus-type reflectivity profile of the anatomic sample.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the at least one third arrangement is capable of generating a two-dimensional fundus-type image of the anatomic sample based the at least one signal.

16. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising

at least on fourth arrangement capable of receiving the at least one of the first or second electromagnetic radiations, and providing at least one fifth electro-magnetic radiation associated with the at least one of the first electromagnetic radiation or the second electromagnetic radiation,

wherein the at least one second arrangement is further capable of detecting a further interference signal between the at least one fifth radiation and the at least one fourth radiation,

wherein the at least one second arrangement is further capable of obtaining at least one reference signal associated with a further phase of at least one first frequency component of the further interference signal over less than an entire sweep of the wavelength.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the at least one particular information is the further phase.

18. A method comprising:

causing a radiation which includes at least one first electromagnetic radiation directed to be provided to an anatomical sample and at least one second electro-magnetic radiation directed to a reference, wherein a wavelength of the radiation varies over time, and the wavelength is shorter than approximately 1150 nm;

detecting an interference between at least one third radiation associated with the at least one first radiation and at least one fourth radiation associated with the at least one second radiation; and

generating at least one image corresponding to at least one portion of the sample using data associated with the interference.

19. A software arrangement comprising:

a first set of instructions which, when executed by a processing arrangement, causes a radiation which includes at least one first electromagnetic radiation directed to be provided to an anatomical sample and at least one second electromagnetic radiation directed to a reference, wherein a wavelength of the radiation varies over time, and the wavelength is shorter than approximately 1150 nm;

a second set of instructions which, when executed by the processing arrangement, causes a detection of an interference between at least one third radiation associated with the at least one first radiation and at least one fourth radiation associated with the at least one second radiation; and

a second set of instructions which, when executed by the processing arrangement, causes the processing arrangement to generate at least one image corresponding to at least one portion of the sample using data associated with the interference.

20. An apparatus comprising:

at least one source arrangement configured to provide an electromagnetic radiation which has a wavelength that varies over time,

wherein a period of a variation of the wavelength of the at least one first electromagnetic radiation is shorter than 1 millisecond, and the wavelength is shorter than approximately 1150 nm.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising a control arrangement which is capable of modulating at least one of an optical gain or an optical loss in the at least one source arrangement over time.

22. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the optical gain is facilitated by a semiconductor material

23. The apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising an arrangement which is configured to effect at least one of a gain or a loss as a function of the wavelength.

24. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the wavelength varies by at least 10 nm over the period.

25. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the wavelength is shorter than approximately 950 nm.

26. A process comprising:

providing an electromagnetic radiation; and

providing an ability to vary a wavelength the electromagnetic radiation over time, wherein a period of a variation of the wavelength of the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation is shorter than 1 millisecond, and the wavelength is shorter than approximately 1150 nm.

27. A software arrangement comprising:

a set of instructions which, when executed by a processing arrangement, causes an electromagnetic radiation which has a wavelength that varies over time to be provided, wherein a period of a variation of the wavelength of the at least one first electro-magnetic radiation is shorter than 1 millisecond, and the wavelength is shorter than approximately 1150 nm.

28. An apparatus comprising:

at least one arrangement configured to receive first data for a three-dimensional image of at least one portion of a sample,

wherein the first data is associated with an optical interferometric signal generated from signals obtained from the sample and a reference,

wherein the at least one arrangement is further configured to convert a region that is less than an entire portion of the first data to second data to generate a two-dimensional image which is associated with the at least one portion of the sample,

wherein the at least one arrangement is still further configured to automatically select the region based on at least one characteristic of the sample, and

wherein the entire portion is associated with an internal structure within the sample.

29. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the sample is an anatomical structure.

30. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the region is at least one portion of at least one of a retina or a choroid.

31. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the two-dimensional image is associated with an integrated reflectivity profile of the region.

32. The apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the two-dimensional image is associated with at least one of a blood or a lymphatic vessel network.

33. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the at least one arrangement automatically selects the region by determining at least one location of at least one section of the region based a reflectivity in the region.

34. A process comprising:

receiving first data for a three-dimensional image of at least one portion of a sample, wherein the first data is associated with an optical interferometric signal generated from signals obtained from the sample and a reference;

converting a region that is less than an entire portion of the first data to second data to generate a two-dimensional image which is associated with the at least one portion of the sample; and

automatically select the region based on at least one characteristic of the sample, wherein the entire portion is associated with an internal structure within the sample.

35. A software arrangement comprising:

a first set of instructions which, when executed by a processing arrangement, receives first data for a three-dimensional image of at least one portion of a sample, wherein the first data is associated with an optical interferometric signal generated from signals obtained from the sample and a reference;

a second set of instructions which, when executed by the processing arrangement, converts a region that is less than an entire portion of the first data to second data to generate a two-dimensional image which is associated with the at least one portion of the sample; and

a third set of instructions which, when executed by the processing arrangement, automatically selects the region based on at least one characteristic of the sample, wherein the entire portion is associated with an internal structure within the sample.

36. An apparatus comprising:

at least one first arrangement providing a radiation which includes at least one first electromagnetic radiation directed to a sample and at least one second electro-magnetic radiation directed to a reference, wherein a wavelength of the radiation provided by the at least one first arrangement varies over time; and

at least one second arrangement capable of detecting an interference signal between at least one third radiation associated with the at least one first radiation and at least one fourth radiation associated with the at least one second radiation, wherein the at least one second arrangement is capable of obtaining at least one signal associated with at least one phase of at least one frequency component of the interference signal over less than an entire sweep of the wavelength, and comparing the at least one phase to at least one particular information.

37. The apparatus according to claim 36, further comprising at least one third arrangement which is capable of scanning the at least one first electromagnetic radiation laterally across the sample.

38. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the sample includes at least one section of a posterior segment of an eye.

39. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the at least one section includes at least one of a retina, a choroid, an optic nerve, or a fovea.

40. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the interference signal is associated with an integral fraction of the entire sweep of the wavelength.

41. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the fraction of the sweep is a half or a quarter of the sweep.

42. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the at least one signal is associated with at least one of a flow velocity or an anatomical structure in the sample.

43. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the at least one particular information is associated with a further signal obtained from a sweep of the wavelength that is different from the sweep of the wavelength of the at least one signal.

44. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the at least one particular information is a constant.

45. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the at least one particular information is associated with at least one phase of at least one further frequency component of the interference signal over less than an entire sweep of the wavelength, and wherein the frequency components are different from one another.

46. The apparatus according to claim 36, further comprising

at least on third arrangement capable of receiving the at least one of the first or second electromagnetic radiations, and providing at least one fifth electromagnetic radiation associated with the at least one of the first electromagnetic radiation or the second electromagnetic radiation,

wherein the at least one second arrangement is further capable of detecting a further interference signal between the at least one fifth radiation and the at least one fourth radiation,

wherein the at least one second arrangement is further capable of obtaining at least one reference signal associated with a further phase of at least one first frequency component of the further interference signal over less than an entire sweep of the wavelength.

47. The apparatus according to claim 46, wherein the at least one particular signal is the further phase.

48. A process comprising:

causing a radiation to be provided which includes at least one first electro-magnetic radiation directed to a sample and at least one second electromagnetic radiation directed to a reference, wherein a wavelength of the radiation provided by the at least one first arrangement varies over time;

detecting an interference signal between at least one third radiation associated with the at least one first radiation and at least one fourth radiation associated with the at least one second radiation; and

obtaining at least one signal associated with at least one phase of at least one frequency component of the interference signal over less than an entire sweep of the wavelength, and comparing the at least one phase to at least one particular information.

49. A software arrangement comprising:

a first set of instructions which, when executed by a processing arrangement, causes a radiation to be provided which includes at least one first electro-magnetic radiation directed to a sample and at least one second electromagnetic radiation directed to a reference, wherein a wavelength of the radiation provided by the at least one first arrangement varies over time;

a second set of instructions which, when executed by the processing arrangement, causes a detection of an interference signal between at least one third radiation associated with the at least one first radiation and at least one fourth radiation associated with the at least one second radiation; and

a third set of instructions which, when executed by the processing arrangement, obtains at least one signal associated with at least one phase of at least one frequency component of the interference signal over less than an entire sweep of the wavelength, and comparing the at least one phase to at least one particular information.