SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR RECEIVING AND/OR ANALYZING INFORMATION ASSOCIATED WITH ELECTRO-MAGNETIC RADIATION

• US 20100165335A1
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tearney, Guillermo J.
• Application Number:
  US12/376,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20100165335A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/301
• 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 5/0084 for introduction into the body, e.g. by catheters A61B5/1459 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0218 using optical fibers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/44 Raman spectrometry; Scattering spectrometry ; Fluorescence spectrometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/65 Raman scattering

Abstract

According to an exemplary embodiment, a system can be provided which can have at least one fiber arrangement and at least one receiving arrangement. The fiber arrangement may have optical transmitting characteristics, and may be configured to transmit there through at least one electromagnetic radiation and forward the at least one electromagnetic radiation to at least one sample. At least one portion of the fiber arrangement may be composed of or can include therein sapphire, diamond, clear graphite, Chalcogenide, borosilicate, zirconium fluoride, silver halide, a liquid core light guide, a gas core light guide, a hollow core waveguide, and/or a solid core photonic crystal fiber. The receiving arrangement may be configured to receive the electromagnetic radiation that is filtered and received from the sample. According to another exemplary embodiment, a method can be provided for obtaining information associated with the sample. For example, at least one first electromagnetic radiation can be forwarded to the sample via at least one optical fiber. At least one first characteristic of at least one portion of the optical fiber can be controlled so as to modify at least one second characteristic of at least one second electromagnetic radiation generated within the optical fiber. The second electromagnetic radiation can be associated with the first electromagnetic radiation.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one fiber arrangement including optical transmitting characteristics, configured to transmit there through at least one electromagnetic radiation and forward the at least one electromagnetic radiation to at least one sample, wherein at least one portion of the at least one fiber arrangement is composed of or includes therein at least one of sapphire, diamond, clear graphite, Chalcogenide, borosilicate, zirconium fluoride, silver halide, a liquid core light guide, a gas core light guide, a hollow core waveguide, or a solid core photonic crystal fiber; and

at least one receiving arrangement configured to receive the electromagnetic radiation that is filtered and received from the at least one sample.

2. The system according to claim 1, the at least one fiber arrangement including therein at least one filtering arrangement, and wherein the at least one fiber arrangement and the filtering arrangement are configured to transmit there through the at least one electromagnetic radiation and forward the at least one electromagnetic radiation to the at least one sample.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one receiving arrangement includes therein at least one further filtering arrangement which is adapted to filtered the received at least one electromagnetic radiation.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the at least one receiving arrangement is at least one further fiber arrangement which has optical transmitting characteristics.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the received at least one electromagnetic radiation is a Raman radiation associated with the at least one sample.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a further arrangement configured to house therein at least one portion of the at least one fiber arrangement.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sample is provided at least partially within an anatomical structure.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one receiving arrangement includes a fiber arrangement which is composed of or includes therein at least one of sapphire, diamond, clear graphite, Chalcogenide, borosilicate, zirconium fluoride, silver halide, a liquid core light guide, a gas core light guide, a hollow core waveguide, or a solid core photonic crystal fiber.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one fiber arrangement includes at least one first fiber which has at least one first filtering characteristic that filter the electromagnetic radiation, and wherein the at least one receiving arrangement is configured to receive the electromagnetic radiation that is filtered by at least one of the at least one first fiber or at least one second fiber which has the at least one second filtering characteristic that filter the at least one electromagnetic radiation.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one fiber arrangement and the at least one receiving arrangement are the same.

11-12. -12. (canceled)

13. A system, comprising:

at least one fiber arrangement which has optical transmitting characteristics, the at least one fiber arrangement including therein at least one filtering arrangement, wherein the at least one fiber arrangement and the at least one filtering arrangement are configured to transmit there through at least one electromagnetic radiation and forward the at least one electromagnetic radiation to at least one sample, and wherein the at least one fiber arrangement includes at least one first fiber which has at least one first filtering characteristic that filter the electromagnetic radiation; and

at least one receiving arrangement configured to receive the electromagnetic radiation that is filtered by at least one of the at least one first fiber or at least one second fiber which has the at least one second filtering characteristic that filter the at least one electromagnetic radiation.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the received at least one electromagnetic radiation is a Raman radiation associated with the at least one sample.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein at least one portion of the at least one fiber arrangement is composed of or includes therein at least one of sapphire, diamond, clear graphite, Chalcogenide, borosilicate, zirconium fluoride, silver halide, a liquid core light guide, a gas core light guide, a hollow core waveguide, or a solid core photonic crystal fiber.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein the at least one filtering characteristic is provided by a fiber Bragg grating.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the at least one first fiber or the at least one second fiber is filtered based on at least one of the at least one first filtering characteristic or the at least one second filtering characteristic to prevent at least one portion of the at least one electromagnetic radiation having particular wavelengths from being forwarded therein.

18. A system, comprising:

at least one first fiber arrangement including optical transmitting characteristics, configured to transmit there through at least one electromagnetic radiation and forward the at least one electromagnetic radiation to at least one sample; and

at least one second fiber arrangement configured to receive the electromagnetic radiation that is filtered and received from the at least one sample,

wherein the at least one electromagnetic radiation has at least one characteristic so as to at least one of reduce or substantially eliminate a fluorescence from the at least one sample.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the at least one electromagnetic radiation causes a stimulated depletion of the fluorescence from the at least one sample.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the at least one electromagnetic radiation photo-bleaches the fluorescence from the at least one sample.

21-41. -41. (canceled)

42. A method, comprising:

transmitting through at least one fiber arrangement at least one electromagnetic radiation, the at least one fiber arrangement including optical transmitting characteristics;

forwarding the at least one electromagnetic radiation to at least one sample via the at least one fiber arrangement;

wherein at least one portion of the at least one fiber arrangement is composed of or includes therein at least one of sapphire, diamond, clear graphite, Chalcogenide, borosilicate, zirconium fluoride, silver halide, a liquid core light guide, a gas core light guide, a hollow core waveguide, or a solid core photonic crystal fiber; and

receiving the electromagnetic radiation from the at least one sample and filtering the same using at least one receiving arrangement.