METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSESSING THE MOLECULAR WATER BINDING OF DEEP TISSUE IN VIVO USING NONIONIZING RADIATION

• US 20070282179A1
• Filed: 06/04/2007
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Merritt, Sean, Durkin, Anthony J., Tromberg, Bruce J., Cerussi, Albert E., Chung, So Hyun
• Application Number:
  US11/757,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20070282179A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/315
• 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 5/0064 Body surface scanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0075 by spectroscopy, i.e. measuring spectra, e.g. Raman spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy A61B5/0071 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0091 for mammography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/441 Skin evaluation, e.g. for skin disorder diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4875 Hydration status, fluid retention of the body

Abstract

A method of optically analyzing tissue in vivo in an individual to obtain a unique spectrum for the tissue of the individual includes the steps of optically measuring the tissue of the individual using broadband diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS) to measure a normalized tissue water spectrum of the individual or noninvasively optically line scanning a tissue site on the individual at a plurality of points, then determining spectral differences between the normalized tissue water spectrum and a pure water spectrum at each point of a line scan, generating a bound water index (BWI) corresponding to the spectral differences, and identifying a tissue state corresponding to the scanned tissue based on the BWI.

Claims

1. A method of optically analyzing tissue in vivo in an individual to obtain a unique spectrum for the tissue of the individual comprising:

noninvasively optically line scanning a tissue site on the individual at a plurality of points using broadband diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS) to measure a normalized tissue water spectrum of the individual;

determining spectral differences between the normalized tissue water spectrum and a pure water spectrum at each point of a line scan;

summing an absolute value of the spectral differences at the plurality of points of the line scan to obtain a sum;

dividing by the number of points in sum to form a bound water index (BWI); and

identifying a tissue state corresponding to the scanned tissue based on the BWI.

2. The method of claim 1 where determining spectral differences between the normalized tissue water spectrum and a pure water spectrum at each point of the line scan comprises determining absorption spectral differences at each point of the line scan.

3. The method of claim 1 where determining absorption spectral differences at each point of the line scan comprises determining absolute absorption spectral differences.

4. The method of claim 2 where determining absorption spectral differences comprise determining absorption spectral differences in the 650-1000 nm wavelength range.

5. The method of claim 1 where identifying a tissue state corresponding to the scanned tissue based on the BWI comprises distinguishing between malignant and normal tissues.

6. The method of claim 5 where distinguishing between malignant and normal tissues comprises distinguishing between malignant and normal tissues in breast tissue.

7. The method of claim 1 where determining spectral differences between the normalized tissue water spectrum and a pure water spectrum at each point of a line scan further comprises temperature compensating the determined spectral differences.

8. The method of claim 1 where determining spectral differences between the normalized tissue water spectrum and a pure water spectrum at each point of a line scan comprises subtracting out spectra of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin and lipid from a measured absorption spectrum to obtain only a water spectrum.

9. The method of claim 7 where determining spectral differences between the normalized tissue water spectrum and a pure water spectrum at each point of a line scan comprises subtracting out spectra of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin and lipid from a measured absorption spectrum to obtain only a water spectrum.

10. The method of claim 8 where subtracting out spectra of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin and lipid from a measured absorption spectrum to obtain only a water comprises subtracting out spectra of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin and lipid from a measured absorption spectrum in the wavelength range of 935 to 998 nm.

11. An apparatus for optically analyzing tissue in vivo in an individual to obtain a unique spectrum for the tissue of the individual comprising:

means for noninvasively optically line scanning a tissue site on the individual at a plurality of points using broadband diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS) to measure a normalized tissue water spectrum of the individual;

means for determining spectral differences between the normalized tissue water spectrum and a pure water spectrum at each point of a line scan;

means for summing an absolute value of the spectral differences at the plurality of points of the line scan to obtain a sum;

means for dividing by the number of points in sum to form a bound water index (BWI); and

means for identifying a tissue state corresponding to the scanned tissue based on the BWI.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 where the means for determining spectral differences between the normalized tissue water spectrum and a pure water spectrum at each point of the line scan comprises means for determining absorption spectral differences at each point of the line scan.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 where the means for determining absorption spectral differences at each point of the line scan comprises means for determining absolute absorption spectral differences.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 where the means for determining absorption spectral differences comprise means for determining absorption spectral differences in the 650-1000 nm wavelength range.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 where the means for identifying a tissue state corresponding to the scanned tissue based on the BWI comprises means for distinguishing between malignant and normal tissues.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 where the means for distinguishing between malignant and normal tissues comprises means for distinguishing between malignant and normal tissues in breast tissue.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 where the means for determining spectral differences between the normalized tissue water spectrum and a pure water spectrum at each point of a line scan further comprises means for temperature compensating the determined spectral differences.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 where the means for determining spectral differences between the normalized tissue water spectrum and a pure water spectrum at each point of a line scan comprises means for subtracting out spectra of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin and lipid from a measured absorption spectrum to obtain only a water spectrum.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 where the means for determining spectral differences between the normalized tissue water spectrum and a pure water spectrum at each point of a line scan comprises means for subtracting out spectra of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin and lipid from a measured absorption spectrum to obtain only a water spectrum.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 where the means for subtracting out spectra of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin and lipid from a measured absorption spectrum to obtain only a water comprises means for subtracting out spectra of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin and lipid from a measured absorption spectrum in the wavelength range of 935 to 998 nm.

21. A method of optically analyzing tissue in vivo in an individual to obtain a unique spectrum for the tissue of the individual comprising:

noninvasively optically line scanning a tissue site on the individual at a plurality of points using broadband diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS) to measure a normalized tissue water spectrum of the individual;

determining spectral differences between the normalized tissue water spectrum and a pure water spectrum at each point of a line scan;

generating a bound water index (BWI) corresponding to the spectral differences between the normalized tissue water spectrum and a pure water spectrum at each point of a line scan; and

identifying a tissue state corresponding to the scanned tissue based on the BWI.