OPTICAL POLARIZATION TRACTOGRAPHY SYSTEMS, METHODS AND DEVICES

• US 20170031143A1
• Filed: 07/29/2016
• Published: 02/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Curators of the University of Missouri (University of Missouri)
• Original Assignee: Curators of the University of Missouri (University of Missouri)
• Inventors: Wang, Yuanbo, Yao, Gang, Duan, Dongsheng
• Granted Patent: US 10,133,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 5/0066 Optical coherence imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0084 for introduction into the body, e.g. by catheters A61B5/1459 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0088 for oral or dental tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4519 Muscles A61B5/389, A61B5/224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/21 Polarisation-affecting properties G01N21/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/0012 Surgical microscopes counterbalanced structures for surgical microscopes G02B7/001
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/0028 specially adapted for specific applications, e.g. for endoscopes, ophthalmoscopes, attachments to conventional microscopes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/0068 arrangements using polarisation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/008 Details of detection or image processing, including general computer control
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10068 Endoscopic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/10 Segmentation; Edge detection motion-based segmentation G06T7/215

Abstract

High-resolution 3D optical polarization tractography (OPT) images of the internal fiber structure of a target tissue. Manipulation of dual-angle imaging data of the fiber orientation inside a target tissue leads to the determination of 3D imaging properties of the target tissue, allowing transmission of the 3D image properties of the target tissue to an OPT processor to produce high-resolution 3D images.

Claims

1. A method of obtaining three dimensional (3D) optical polarization tractography (OPT) images of 3D fiber orientation inside a target tissue, the method comprising:

Making an initial OPT image of fiber orientation of a target tissue sample using an incident light source thereby producing a first image volume;

Making at least one additional OPT image of the fiber orientation of the target tissue using one or more projection planes different from the initial fiber orientation thereby providing dual-angle imaging data and producing at least a second image volume;

Determining an intersection line of the at least two different projection planes for points inside the sample, whereby the 3D image properties of the target tissue become known; and

Transmitting the 3D image properties of the target tissue to an OPT processor to produce a 3D image of the target tissue.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising registering the first and the at least second image volume.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the target tissue sample is imaged in vivo.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the target tissue sample is imaged using an OPT surgical or dissecting microscope, or endoscopic device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying the tissue'"'"'s fiber orientation by distinctively displaying the tissue'"'"'s fiber orientation on a computer screen, other media or directly on the target tissue.

6. A method for predicting or identifying candidates of tissue distress, the method comprising:

Obtaining OPT images or data of a target tissue;

Applying a fiber disarray index to the OPT images of the target tissue;

Whereby portions of the target tissue which are predicted or identified to be tissue distress candidates are determined based on the fiber disarray index.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of calculating the fiber disarray index from OPT images, or from data related thereto, of the target tissue.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of calculating the fiber disarray index from a time sequence of 2D or 3D OPT images, or from data related thereto, of the target tissue.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising calculating the fiber disarray index based on calculating variation of fiber orientation within a target region.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising determining the distressed portion of the target tissue using image segmentation or labeling.

11. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of calculating the tissue fiber disarray index from 3D images or data of tissue of a type representative of the target tissue.

12. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of determining portions of the target tissue which are predicted or identified to be tissue distress candidates further comprises determining a threshold of the fiber disarray index which indicates portions which are tissue distress candidates.

13. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of displaying the distressed portion of the target tissue by distinctively marking an area corresponding to the distressed portion of the target tissue.

14. The method of claim 6 wherein the method further comprises in situ imaging of the target tissue.

15. The method of claim 6 wherein the target tissue is imaged using an OPT surgical or dissecting microscope or endoscopic device.

16. A system for in situ imaging of a target tissue, the system comprising:

An OPT imaging system;

A device for scanning the target tissue in situ; and

A system for transmitting data obtained from the scanning of the target tissue required for OPT image construction to an image processor.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the OPT imaging system is a 3D imaging system.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the system utilizes dual-angle measurement to provide the data to construct the OPT 3D image.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the device for scanning a target tissue in situ is an OPT surgical or dissecting microscope or endoscopic device.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the system further comprises utilizing a fiber disarray index marker system to project the location of tissue predicted to be candidates of tissue distress.