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Digital optical visualization, enhancement, quantification, and classification of surface and subsurface features of body surfaces

  • US 5,836,872 A
  • Filed: 04/13/1990
  • Issued: 11/17/1998
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1989
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method for enabling in vivo visualization of pigmented or capillary features within the skin otherwise not visible to the eye by eliminating optical effects at the skin surface, comprising:

  • applying onto a region of the skin surface a substance that decreases effects of refractive index mismatch at the air-skin interface;

    providing an image transducer device comprised of one or more area imaging sensors;

    illuminating the region of the skin surface with a standardized, controlled, area illumination source;

    contacting the substance with a transparent member to smooth the substance surface for decreasing specular reflection off the substance surface;

    positioning said image transducer device and said illumination source a predetermined distance over the region using a mechanical structure coupled to said image transducer device and said illumination source and placed on the skin to facilitate lighting, positioning and focus;

    simultaneously transducing directly from the region through said transparent member using said image transducer device a plurality of spectrally different images of reflected and/or emitted light, in which each said image consists of a collection of image elements, and represents a different spectral region;

    constructing a multispectral digital area image from said spectrally different images; and

    displaying or presenting said multispectral digital area image for inspection, interpretation, analysis or classification.

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