Medical investigation system and related method
First Claim
1. A medical tissue investigation method comprising the steps of:
- generating electromagnetic energy having a predetermined first frequency;
transmitting electromagnetic energy of said first frequency along a predetermined first line extending through a patient;
also generating electromagnetic energy having a predetermined second frequency different from said first frequency;
transmitting electromagnetic energy of said second frequency along a predetermined second line extending through the patient at a predetermined angle relative to said first line, said second line intersecting said first line at one predetermined point inside the patient, said steps of transmitting being performed simultaneously;
automatically detecting electromagnetic radiation emitted from organic cellular material at said predetermined point in response to excitation of said cellular material by electromagnetic energy of said first frequency and electromagnetic energy of said second frequency upon simultaneous irradiation of said predetermined point by electromagnetic energy of said first frequency and electromagnetic energy of said second frequency; and
automatically determining a spectral output of said organic cellular material from electromagnetic radiation received from said predetermined point through the patient during said step of detecting.
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Abstract
In a medical diagnostic method a patient is supported in a predetermined position and microwave energy is focused on a predetermined target region in the patient to produce a burst of photoluminescence. Electromagnetic radiation emitted from organic cellular material at the focal point or the microwave radiation is automatically detected. In a subsequent step, a spectral output of the organic cellular material is automatically determined from electromagnetic radiation received from the radiation focal point through the patient during the step of detecting. In addition, a diagnosis of the excited cellular material is automatically implemented based on the results of the spectral analysis.
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Citations
42 Claims
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1. A medical tissue investigation method comprising the steps of:
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generating electromagnetic energy having a predetermined first frequency; transmitting electromagnetic energy of said first frequency along a predetermined first line extending through a patient; also generating electromagnetic energy having a predetermined second frequency different from said first frequency; transmitting electromagnetic energy of said second frequency along a predetermined second line extending through the patient at a predetermined angle relative to said first line, said second line intersecting said first line at one predetermined point inside the patient, said steps of transmitting being performed simultaneously; automatically detecting electromagnetic radiation emitted from organic cellular material at said predetermined point in response to excitation of said cellular material by electromagnetic energy of said first frequency and electromagnetic energy of said second frequency upon simultaneous irradiation of said predetermined point by electromagnetic energy of said first frequency and electromagnetic energy of said second frequency; and automatically determining a spectral output of said organic cellular material from electromagnetic radiation received from said predetermined point through the patient during said step of detecting. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A medical tissue investigation method comprising the steps of:
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generating electromagnetic energy characterized by a preselected wavelength, a preselected amplitude, and a preselected polarization; concentrating said energy towards a predetermined point internal to a patient; transmitting said energy through the patient to said predetermined point; automatically detecting electromagnetic radiation emitted from organic cellular material at said predetermined point in response to excitation of said cellular material by said energy upon concentration thereof at said predetermined point; and automatically determining, from electromagnetic radiation received from said predetermined point through the patient during said step of detecting, a radiation output of said organic cellular material characterized by wavelength, amplitude, and polarization. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A medical tissue investigation method comprising the steps of:
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generating electromagnetic energy having a predetermined plurality of wavelengths; modulating at least one of said wavelengths; transmitting said energy including the modulated wavelength through a patient to a predetermined point internal to the patient; automatically detecting electromagnetic radiation emitted from organic cellular material at said predetermined point in response to excitation of said cellular material by said energy including the modulated wavelength upon transmission thereof to said predetermined point, said step of detecting including the step of filtering out extraneous background noise in incoming electromagnetic radiation having said one of said wavelengths; and automatically determining a spectral output of said organic cellular material from electromagnetic radiation received from said predetermined point through the patient during said step of detecting. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A medical tissue investigation method comprising the steps of:
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generating electromagnetic energy having a predetermined plurality of wavelengths; transmitting said energy through a patient to a predetermined point internal to the patient; concentrating said energy at said predetermined point; automatically determining the location of said predetermined point relative to the patient; automatically detecting electromagnetic radiation emitted from organic cellular material at said predetermined point in response to excitation of said cellular material by said energy upon concentrating thereof at said predetermined point; automatically determining a spectral output of said organic cellular material from electromagnetic radiation received from said predetermined point through the patient during said step of detecting; and correlating the determined spectral output of said organic cellular material with the location of said predetermined point relative to the patient. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
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29. A medical tissue investigation system comprising:
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first generating means for generating electromagnetic energy having a predetermined first frequency; first directional transmission means for transmitting electromagnetic energy of said first frequency along a predetermined first line extending through a patient; second generating means for generating electromagnetic energy having a predetermined second frequency different from said first frequency; second directional transmission means for transmitting electromagnetic energy of said second frequency along a predetermined second line extending through the patient at a predetermined angle relative to said first line, said second line intersecting said first line at one predetermined point inside the patient; detection means for automatically detecting electromagnetic radiation emitted from organic cellular material at said predetermined point in response to excitation of said cellular material by electromagnetic energy of said first frequency and electromagnetic energy of said second frequency upon simultaneous irradiation of said predetermined point by electromagnetic energy of said first frequency and electromagnetic energy of said second frequency; and computing means operatively connected to said detection means for automatically determining a spectral output of said organic cellular material from electromagnetic radiation received from said predetermined point through the patient, said computing means being operatively connected to at least one of said first generating means and said second generating means for controlling said one of said first generating means and said second generating means to change a respective one of said first frequency and said second frequency, said computing means being operatively connected to at least one of said first directional transmission means and said second directional transmission means for controlling said one of said first directional transmission means and said second direction transmission means to change a respective one of said first line and said second line. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A medical tissue investigation system comprising:
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generating means for generating electromagnetic energy characterized by a preselected wavelength, a preselected amplitude, and a preselected polarization; transmission means for transmitting said energy through a patient to a predetermined point internal to the patient; detection means for automatically detecting electromagnetic radiation emitted from organic cellular material at said predetermined point in response to excitation of said cellular material by said energy upon concentration thereof at said predetermined point; and computing means operatively connected to said detection means for automatically determining, from electromagnetic radiation received from said predetermined point through the patient, a radiation output of said organic cellular material characterized by wavelength, amplitude, and polarization, said computing means being operatively connected to said generating means for controlling said generating means to change at least one of said preselected wavelength, said preselected amplitude, and said preselected polarization. - View Dependent Claims (39)
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40. A medical tissue investigation system comprising:
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generating means for generating electromagnetic energy having a predetermined plurality of wavelengths; modulator means operatively connected to said generating means for modulating at least one of said wavelengths; transmission means for transmitting said energy including the modulated wavelength through a patient to a predetermined point internal to the patient; detection means for automatically detecting electromagnetic radiation emitted from organic cellular material at said predetermined point in response to excitation of said cellular material by said energy including the modulated wavelength upon transmission thereof to said predetermined point, said detection means including filtering means for filtering out extraneous background noise in incoming electromagnetic radiation having said one of said wavelengths; and computing means operatively connected to said detection means for automatically determining a spectral output of said organic cellular material from electromagnetic radiation received from said predetermined point through the patient. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42)
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Specification