ENDOSCOPIC BIOPSY APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20100210937A1
• Filed: 01/20/2010
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Inventors: Suter, Melissa J., Tearney, Guillermo J., Kang, Dongkyun, Bouma, Brett E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,615,748 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0066 Optical coherence imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0068 Confocal 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 5/0086 using infrared radiation

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of apparatus, method and system for determining a position on or in a biological tissue can be provided. For example, using such exemplary embodiment, it is possible to control the focus of an optical imaging probe. In another exemplary embodiment, it is possible to implement a marking apparatus together with or into an optical imaging probe. According to one exemplary embodiment, it is possible (using one or more arrangements) to receive information associated with at least one image of at least one portion of the biological tissue obtained using an optical imaging technique. Further, it is possible to, based on the information, cause a visible change on or in at least location of the portion(s) using at least one electro-magnetic radiation.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining a position on or in a biological tissue, comprising:

at least one arrangement which is configured to;

receive information associated with at least one image of at least one portion of the biological tissue obtained using an optical imaging technique, and

based on the information, cause a visible change on or in at least location of the at least one portion using at least one electro-magnetic radiation.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one image includes a volumetric image of the at least one portion.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the volumetric image is a cylindrical image having a diameter of between about 10 mm to 100 mm.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the volumetric image is a cylindrical image having an extension of at most about 1 m.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising at least one further arrangement which is configured to receive data associated with the visible change, and guide a visualization to the at least one portion based on the data.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one arrangement causes the visible change by ablating the at least one portion.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the ablation of the at least one portion is performed by irradiating the at least one portion with the at least one electro-magnetic radiation.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one arrangement is situated in a probe, and further comprising an ablation arrangement provided in the probe which is controlled by the at least one arrangement to cause the visible change on or in the at least one portion.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the at least one arrangement is configured to obtain the information via at least one wave-guiding arrangement, and the ablation arrangement provides the at least one electro-magnetic radiation via the at least one wave-guiding arrangement to cause the visible change.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical imaging technique includes a confocal microscopy technique.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the confocal microscopy technique is a spectrally-encoded confocal microscopy technique.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical imaging technique includes an optical coherence tomography.

13. An apparatus comprising:

at least one dispersive first arrangement configured to provide data associated with a signal received from at least one region of the at least one sample; and

at least one focusing second arrangement configured to control at least one of a focal length or a focal position associated with the at least one first arrangement based on the data.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

at least one third arrangement configured to provide further data associated with a further signal received from at least one further region of the at least one sample,

wherein the region and the further region are at least one of (i) at least partially overlap, or (ii) located at near one another, and

wherein the at least one focusing second arrangement configured to control the at least one of the focal length or the focal position associated with the at least one first arrangement based on at least one of the data or the further data.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the dispersive and focusing arrangements are provided in a balloon

16. An apparatus for imaging at least one portion of an anatomical tissue, comprising:

at least one arrangement which includes a dispersive arrangement that is configured to provide at least one first electromagnetic radiation to the at least one portion to form a sample plane at an angle that is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees with respect to a plane of a surface of the at least one portion;

at least one second arrangement which is configured to receive at least one second electromagnetic radiation from the sample plane which is associated with the at least one first electromagnetic radiation to generate information as a function the at least one second electromagnetic radiation; and

at least one third arrangement which generates a control signal based on the information so as to further control a location of a focal plane of the at least one first electromagnetic radiation.

17. The apparatus according claim 16, wherein the at least one third arrangement is configured to generate the control signal based on a location of a surface of the sample using at least one portion of the at least one first electromagnetic radiation.

18. The apparatus according claim 16, wherein the at least one second arrangement is further configured to separate the at least one second electromagnetic radiation into at least one first signal and at least one second signal.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the at least one third arrangement generates the control signal based on the at least one first signal, and further configured to generate at least one image associated with the sample as a function of the at least one second signal.

20. The apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising at least one fourth arrangement which is configured to generate at least one three-dimensional image of the at least one portion as a function of the information.

21. An apparatus for imaging at least one portion of an anatomical tissue, comprising:

at least one arrangement which includes a dispersive arrangement that is configured to provide at least one first electromagnetic radiation to the at least one portion to form a sample plane at an angle that is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees with respect to a plane of a surface of the at least one portion;

at least one second arrangement which is configured to receive at least one second electromagnetic radiation from the sample plane which is associated with the at least one first electromagnetic radiation to generate information as a function the at least one second electromagnetic radiation; and

at least one third arrangement which is configured to generate at least one three-dimensional image of the at least one portion as a function of the information.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising at least one fourth arrangement which generates a control signal based on the information so as to further control a location of a focal plane of the at least one first electromagnetic radiation.

23. A method for determining a position on or in a biological tissue, comprising:

receiving information associated with at least one image of at least one portion of the biological tissue obtained using an optical imaging technique; and

based on the information, causing a visible change on or in at least location of the at least one portion using at least one electro-magnetic radiation.

24. A method for imaging at least one portion of an anatomical tissue, comprising:

with a dispersive arrangement, providing at least one first electromagnetic radiation to the at least one portion to form a sample plane at an angle that is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees with respect to a plane of a surface of the at least one portion;

receiving at least one second electromagnetic radiation from the sample plane which is associated with the at least one first electromagnetic radiation to generate information as a function the at least one second electromagnetic radiation; and

generating a control signal based on the information so as to further control a location of a focal plane of the at least one first electromagnetic radiation.