Arrangement and method for diagnosing malignant tissue by fluorescence observation

• US 6,061,591 A
• Filed: 03/24/1997
• Issued: 05/09/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.), Richard Wolf GmbH (Richard & Annemarie Wolf- Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Richard Wolf GmbH (Richard & Annemarie Wolf- Stiftung)
• Inventors: Freitag, Lutz, Dankwart-Eder, Franz
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Ruth S.
• Application Number:
  US08/824,649
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 600/473-478, 607/901
• US Class Current: 600/476
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00186 with imaging filters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/043 for fluorescence imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0638 providing two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0646 with illumination filters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0071 by measuring fluorescence emission
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0084 for introduction into the body, e.g. by catheters A61B5/1459 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 607/901 Cancer detection

Abstract

The invention relates to an arrangement and method for diagnosing malignant tissue by fluorescence observation with an endoscope. A stroboscope is used as a white light source in order to illuminate the interesting tissue region through the endosocope. A laser is simultaneously used in order to stimulate the fluorescence. At a time, the analyzer is activated in the dark phase between two light flashes of the stroboscope and deactivated during a visible light flash. The tissue, with a continuous fluorescence stimulation by exposure to light with a stimulating wavelength, may be observed under a pseudo-white light. The spectrogram may be represented on a screen which displays a normal white light endoscopic picture.

Claims

1. An arrangement for diagnosing malignant tissue by fluorescence observation, comprising an endoscope (1), a white light source (3, 16, 37), a fluorescence stimulator (4, 35) for emitting a light beam, and an analyzer (5, 15, 43), wherein the fluorescence stimulator (4, 35) constantly emits a continuous light beam during a diagnosis, the white light source (3, 16, 37) comprises a device for effecting a periodic change of intensity of a visible light pulse emitted from the white light source (3, 16, 37), and the analyzer (5, 15, 43) is activated when the intensity of the visible light pulse approaches zero and is deactivated during emission of the visible light pulse.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the white light source (3, 16, 37) comprises a stroboscope.

3. The arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the fluorescence stimulator (4) comprises a laser.

4. The arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the fluorescence stimulator comprises an arc lamp.

5. The arrangement according to claim 2, further comprising a filter (19, 42) arranged adjacent to the analyzer (5, 15, 43) for selectively blanking out a stimulation wavelength emitted from the fluorescence stimulator (4, 35).

6. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the fluorescence stimulator (4) comprises a laser.

7. The arrangement according to claim 6, further comprising a filter (19, 42) arranged adjacent to the analyzer (5, 15, 43) for selectively blanking out a stimulation wavelength emitted from the fluorescence stimulator (4, 35).

8. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the fluorescence stimulator comprises an arc lamp.

9. The arrangement according to claim 8, further comprising a filter (19, 42) arranged adjacent to the analyzer (5, 15, 43) for selectively blanking out a stimulation wavelength emitted from the fluorescence stimulator (4, 35).

10. The arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a filter (19, 42) arranged adjacent to the analyzer (5, 15, 43) for selectively blanking out a stimulation wavelength emitted from the fluorescence stimulator (4, 35).

11. A method for diagnosing malignant tissue by fluorescence observation, comprising exposing a tissue to be observed to a continuous fluorescence stimulation by a light beam with a stimulation wavelength, simultaneously observing the tissue under light pulses (B) produced by a stroboscope (3, 16, 37), and analyzing a wavelength of fluorescence emitted from the tissue, wherein an analyzer (5, 15, 43) for conducting the analysis is deactivated during each of the light pulses (B) and is activated during a period of a dark phase (D) between two of the light pulses (B).

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the wavelength emitted by the tissue (2) corresponds to the stimulation wavelength and is selectively blanked out before the analyzer (5, 15, 43).