IR SPECTROGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DIAGNOSIS OF DISEASE

• US 20090118601A1
• Filed: 09/29/2005
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Materials Research Services, University of Delaware
• Original Assignee: Materials Research Services, University of Delaware
• Inventors: Rabolt, John F., Tsao, Mei-Wei
• Application Number:
  US11/576,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20090118601A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/318
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/10 Objective types, i.e. instruments for examining the eyes independent of the patients' perceptions or reactions
• 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 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2003/2813 2D-array
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0208 using focussing or collimating elements, e.g. lenses or mirrors; performing aberration correction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/021 using plane or convex mirrors, parallel phase plates, or particular reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0218 using optical fibers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0294 Multi-channel spectroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/04 Slit arrangements slit adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/108 for measurement in the infrared range
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/14 using refracting elements, e.g. prisms G01J3/18, G01J3/26 take precedence prisms per se G02B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/2803 using photoelectric array detector
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/35 using infrared light G01N21/39 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3504 for analysing gases, e.g. multi-gas analysis

Abstract

A method for detecting disease in a patient includes providing infrared (IR) light and coupling the IR light through direct lens coupling or through a first group of one or more optical fibers. IR light is reflected from a portion of the patient and collected by a lens arrangement or a second group of one or more optical fibers. The reflected IR light is dispersed into its spectrum which is detected and analyzed. An apparatus suitable for diagnosing a disease in a patient includes an IR light source and optical fiber or direct lens coupling of IR light onto a body part or fluid of the patient. Reflected light from the patient is optically dispersed using a prism or grating. An IR focal plane array receives the optically dispersed light. The spectrum of the reflected IR light is used to provide a diagnosis of disease in the patient by identifying various disease markers or chemical fingerprints. The method and apparatus are capable of non-invasively detecting disease markers in a patient.

Claims

1. A method for non-invasively detecting a disease in a patient, comprising:

providing IR light;

reflecting the IR light from a portion of the patient;

collecting reflected IR light;

dispersing the reflected IR light into a spectrum of reflected IR light; and

detecting the spectrum of reflected IR light.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising analyzing the spectrum of reflected IR light to identify a molecular fingerprint of the disease.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising reflecting the IR light from an eye of the patient, wherein the analysis of the spectrum of reflected IR light is capable of diagnosing an eye disease.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the analysis of the spectrum of reflected IR light is capable of diagnosing an early stage of cataractogenesis in an eye lens of the patient.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the analysis of the spectrum of reflected IR light provides a diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the analysis of the spectrum of reflected IR light provides a diagnosis of glaucoma in an eye of the patient.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the analysis of the spectrum of reflected IR light provides a diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa in an eye of the patient.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising reflecting the IR light from an eye of the patient and non-invasively characterizing ocular fluid in the eye of the patient and identifying one or more proteins contained therein.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising coupling the IR light through a first group of one or more optical fibers and collecting reflected IR light with a second group of one or more optical fibers.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

coupling a probe head to an end of the first group of one or more optical fibers and an end of the second group of one or more optical fibers;

placing the probe head in contact with at least one of a body fluid and a body tissue of the patient; and

collecting the reflected IR light through the probe head.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the probe head is placed in proximity to a body fluid comprising a gas.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising simultaneously detecting a spectrum of a reference and the spectrum of reflected IR light.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising compensating the spectrum of reflected IR light by using the reference spectrum.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the reference is water.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the reference comprises water vapor.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing IR light in a mid-IR region including wavenumbers in the range of 4000 cm⁻

1 to 400 cm<sup>−

1</sup>.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing IR light in a far-IR region including wavenumbers in the range of 400 cm⁻

1 to 5 cm<sup>−

1</sup>.

18. An apparatus suitable for non-invasively diagnosing a disease in a patient, the apparatus comprising:

an IR light source;

light coupling means for coupling at least a portion of the IR light source onto a body part or fluid of the patient and for receiving light reflected from the body part or fluid of the patient;

an optically dispersive element arranged in light receiving relation with the light coupling means; and

an IR focal plane array which receives dispersed IR light from the optically dispersive element through the light coupling means,

wherein the dispersed IR light represents a spectrum of the reflected IR light, and

wherein the diagnosis of disease in the patient is based, at least in part, on the spectrum of the reflected IR light.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the light coupling means comprises:

a first group of one or more optical fibers in light receiving relation to the IR light source and a second group of one or more optical fibers arranged to receive reflected IR light from the body part or fluid of the patient,

wherein an end portion of the first group of one or more optical fibers distal from the IR light source is suitably arranged facing a body part or fluid of the patient, and

wherein an end of the second group of one or more optical fibers distal from the body part or fluid of the patient couples the reflected IR light to the optically dispersive element.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first and second groups each comprise multiple fibers arranged in a bundle, wherein the first group is essentially surrounded by the second group.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a probe head operatively arranged with respect to the light coupling means, wherein the probe head is placed in contact with the body part or fluid of the patient.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a probe head coupled to an end portion of the first group of one or more optical fibers opposed to the body part or fluid of the patient,

wherein the probe head is placed in contact with the body part or fluid of the patient, and

wherein the probe head is coupled to the second group of one or more optical fibers containing IR light reflected from the body part or fluid of the patient.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the probe head is configured as an attenuated total reflection probe.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for simultaneously detecting a spectrum of a reference and the spectrum of reflected IR light.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising means for compensating the spectrum of reflected IR light by using the reference spectrum.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the reference is water.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the reference comprises water vapor.

28. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the means for simultaneously detecting comprises means for projecting the spectrum of the reference and the spectrum of reflected IR light on different areas of the IR focal plane array.

29. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the IR focal plane array is thermo-electrically cooled.

30. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the optically dispersive element comprises a prism.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the prism comprises a Pellin-Broca prism.

32. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the IR focal plane array is sensitive in a mid-IR region including wavenumbers in the range of 4000 cm⁻

1 to 400 cm<sup>−

1</sup>.

33. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the IR focal plane array is sensitive in a far-IR region including wavenumbers in the range of 400 cm⁻

1 to 5 cm<sup>−

1</sup>.