BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION IMAGING APPARATUS

• US 20100174197A1
• Filed: 06/20/2008
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Fukutani, Kazuhiko, Asao, Yasufumi, Nakajima, Takao
• Application Number:
  US12/602,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20100174197A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/478
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/018 for receiving instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0623 for off-axis illumination
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/07 using light-conductive means, e.g. optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/313 for introducing through surgical openings, e.g. laparoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3478 Endoscopic needles, e.g. for infusion biopsy needles A61B10/0233; catheters with injection needles A61M25/0067
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0084 for introduction into the body, e.g. by catheters A61B5/1459 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0095 by applying light and detecting acoustic waves, i.e. photoacoustic measurements

Abstract

A living body information imaging apparatus includes a member that is adapted to be introduced into an interior of a living body and has a light irradiation portion for irradiating light with an angle of irradiation equal to or more than 2π steradian to the interior of the living body, and a signal detector that is arranged outside the living body and detects a signal output based on light irradiation in the interior of the living body by the member having the light irradiation portion.

Claims

1. A biological information imaging apparatus comprising:

a member that is adapted to be introduced into an interior of a living body and has a light irradiation portion for irradiating light with an angle of irradiation equal to or more than 2π

steradian to the interior of said living body; and

a signal detector that is arranged outside said living body and detects a signal output based on light irradiation in the interior of said living body by said member having the light irradiation portion.

2. A biological information imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said signal detector is an acoustic wave detector that detects, as said signal, an elastic wave generated from a light absorber in the interior of said living body which has absorbed a part of the energy of light irradiated from said member having the light irradiation portion.

3. A biological information imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said member having the light irradiation portion is constructed to be connected through an optical wave guide to a light source arranged outside said living body, in such a manner that light from said light source is able to be irradiated from said light irradiation portion by way of said optical wave guide.

4. A biological information imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said member having the light irradiation portion has a puncturing function.

5. A biological information imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said member having the light irradiation portion is provided with a guide hole for guiding a puncture needle.

6. A biological information imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said member having the light irradiation portion is composed of a light emitting element which is adapted to be arranged in said living body and which is provided with a power supply source and a light source for irradiating light to the interior of said living body.

7. A biological information imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an information processing unit that analyzes said signal detected by said signal detector, and obtains information according to an optical property distribution of said living body.

8. A biological information imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said light absorber in said living body is a tumor or a blood vessel in said living body.

9. A biological information imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said signal detector is constructed in such a manner that it is able to detect said signal in a plurality of locations.

10. A biological information imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said light source is a light source that generates pulsed light.

11. A biological information imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said pulsed light has a wavelength of not less than 400 nm and not more than 1,600 nm.