APPARATUS FOR MEASURING PERFUSION RATE OF LEGS

• US 20080221421A1
• Filed: 12/13/2007
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Inventors: CHOI, Myunghwan, CHOI, Chulhee, KANG, Yujung
• Application Number:
  US11/955,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20080221421A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/363
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0261 using optical means, e.g. infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0275 using tracers, e.g. dye dilution

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring the perfusion rate of legs. The measurement apparatus of the present invention includes a light leakage prevention unit including a light emitting device for radiating light having a certain wavelength onto a living body injected with Indocyanine Green (ICG), and a light leakage prevention housing formed to prevent transmission of external light. A data acquisition unit includes a band pass filter for passing therethrough only light, having a near infrared wavelength, in a fluorescence image emitted by the ICG and the light emitting device, and a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) camera for photographing a near infrared wavelength region. A data processing unit calculates a perfusion rate of the living body on a basis of data about the near infrared wavelength region through a data cable connected to the data acquisition unit. A data output unit outputs the perfusion rate calculated by the data processing unit.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring a perfusion rate of legs, comprising:

a light leakage prevention unit including a light emitting device for radiating light having a certain wavelength onto a living body injected with Indocyanine Green (ICG), and a light leakage prevention housing formed to prevent transmission of external light;

a data acquisition unit including a band pass filter for passing therethrough only light, having a near infrared wavelength, in a fluorescence image emitted by the ICG and the light emitting device, and a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) camera for photographing a near infrared wavelength region;

a data processing unit for calculating a perfusion rate of the living body on a basis of data about the near infrared wavelength region through a data cable connected to the data acquisition unit; and

a data output unit for outputting the perfusion rate calculated by the data processing unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light leakage prevention housing includes a leg support unit, which is a structure capable of supporting legs of the living body.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the leg support unit includes:

a leg support having a certain width and a certain height, required to support both legs of the living body; and

a footrest implemented to allow feet of the living body to be placed thereon.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting device is implemented using any one of a laser having a wavelength from 750 to 780 nm, a white light source, and a light emitting diode, each having a band pass filter corresponding to a region of the wavelength.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting device is implemented using one or more light emitting devices, and is constructed to be capable of adjusting an intensity of light emitted therefrom.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data processing unit includes:

digitization means for processing data input through the data cable to have fluorescence intensities for respective regions over time in a region of interest;

determination means for recognizing ischemic patterns of respective regions on a basis of the fluorescence intensities over time, and calculating correlation coefficients between the ischemic patterns and adjacent regions; and

perfusion rate calculation means for calculating the perfusion rate using data input from the determination means.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the data output unit assigns predefined colors depending on the perfusion rate and colors respective regions in the assigned colors, thus visually outputting the perfusion rate in a form of an image.