Optical methods for tissue analysis
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of analyzing tissue, the method comprising:
- illuminating a tissue with coherent or partially coherent light;
receiving light reflected from the tissue at a detector and forming series of speckle patterns;
analyzing changes in the speckle patterns at time intervals sufficient to measure changes caused by microscopic motion of objects within the tissue, wherein the tissue is at least one of in vivo or an internal tissue; and
compensating for macroscopic motion to isolate the microscopic motion.
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Abstract
The invention relates to methods and systems to optically analyze samples such as tissue based on speckle patterns of microscopic motion, such as Brownian motion.
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Citations
50 Claims
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1. A method of analyzing tissue, the method comprising:
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illuminating a tissue with coherent or partially coherent light; receiving light reflected from the tissue at a detector and forming series of speckle patterns; analyzing changes in the speckle patterns at time intervals sufficient to measure changes caused by microscopic motion of objects within the tissue, wherein the tissue is at least one of in vivo or an internal tissue; and compensating for macroscopic motion to isolate the microscopic motion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of analyzing tissue, the method comprising:
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illuminating a tissue with coherent or partially coherent light; receiving light reflected from the tissue at a detector and forming series of speckle patterns; analyzing changes in the speckle patterns at time intervals sufficient to measure changes caused by a microscopic motion of objects within the tissue; and compensating for a macroscopic motion to isolate the microscopic motion, wherein the macroscopic motion results from a motion or the deformation of the tissue.
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24. A method of analyzing a tissue structure, the method comprising:
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illuminating the tissue structure with coherent or partially coherent light; receiving light reflected from the tissue structure at a detector and forming a series of speckle patterns; gathering speckle pattern data at time intervals sufficient to measure microscopic motion within the tissue structure or adjacent tissue; and assessing the tissue structure by analyzing spatial characteristics of the speckle pattern data to deduce structural or biomechanical characteristics of the tissue structure, wherein the tissue structure is at least one of in vivo or an internal tissue structure; wherein the spatial characteristics are analyzed by assessing a thickness of the tissue structure; and wherein the tissue structure thickness is assessed by; (i) measuring the decorrelation time constant r as a function of r=(x02+y02)1/2; (ii) measuring optical properties of the tissue structure; and (iii) comparing the measured optical properties and τ
(r) to a mathematical simulation that models light remittance as a function of tissue structure thickness. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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28. A method of analyzing tissue which comprises an atherosclerotic plague, the method comprising:
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illuminating a tissue with coherent or partially coherent light; receiving light reflected from the tissue at a detector and forming series of speckle patterns; analyzing changes in the speckle patterns at time intervals sufficient to measure changes caused by microscopic motion of objects within the tissue, wherein the tissue is at least one of in vivo or an internal tissue; and gathering speckle pattern data at time intervals sufficient to measure microscopic motion within a lipid pool within the atherosclerotic plaque; and
assessing the atherosclerotic plaque'"'"'s vulnerability to rupture from the amount of microscopic motion. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A method of analyzing tissue, the method comprising:
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illuminating a tissue with coherent or partially coherent light, wherein the tissue comprises an atherosclerotic plaque; receiving light reflected from the tissue at a detector and forming series of speckle patterns; and analyzing changes in the speckle patterns at time intervals sufficient to measure changes caused by microscopic motion within a lipid pool within the atherosclerotic plaque; and
assessing the atherosclerotic plaque'"'"'s vulnerability to rupture from the amount of microscopic motion, wherein the plaque is considered vulnerable to rupture if the viscosity of the lipid pool has a time constant of less than about 200 milliseconds.
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39. A method of analyzing tissue, the method comprising:
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illuminating a tissue with coherent or partially coherent light, wherein the tissue comprises an atherosclerotic plaque; receiving light reflected from the tissue at a detector and forming series of speckle patterns; and analyzing changes in the speckle patterns at time intervals sufficient to measure changes caused by microscopic motion within a lipid pool within the atherosclerotic plaque; and
assessing the atherosclerotic plaque'"'"'s vulnerability to rupture from the amount of microscopic motion, wherein the plaque is considered likely to rupture if the viscosity of the lipid pool has a time constant of less than about 100 milliseconds.
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40. A The method of analyzing a tissue structure of which comprises an atherosclerotic plaque, the method comprising:
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illuminating the tissue structure with coherent or partially coherent light; receiving light reflected from the tissue structure at a detector and forming a series of speckle patterns; gathering speckle pattern data at time intervals sufficient to measure microscopic motion within the tissue structure or adjacent tissue; and assessing the tissue structure by analyzing spatial characteristics of the speckle pattern data to deduce structural or biomechanical characteristics of the tissue structure, wherein the tissue structure is at least one of in vivo or an internal tissue structure, wherein tissue structure thickness is assessed by analyzing variation of τ
as a function of distance from a center of the speckle pattern as a function of (x02+y02)1/2.
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41. A method of analyzing tissue, comprising:
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illuminating a tissue with coherent or partially coherent light; receiving light reflected from the tissue at a detector and forming series of speckle patterns; and analyzing changes in the speckle patterns at time intervals sufficient to measure changes caused by microscopic motion of objects within the tissue, wherein the tissue is at least one of in vivo or an internal tissue, wherein the analyzing step comprises measuring biomechanical properties of the tissue in three dimensions.
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42. A method of analyzing a tissue structure, comprising:
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illuminating the tissue structure with coherent or partially coherent light; receiving light reflected from the tissue structure at a detector and forming a series of speckle patterns; gathering speckle pattern data at time intervals sufficient to measure microscopic motion within the tissue structure or adjacent tissue; and assessing the tissue structure by analyzing spatial characteristics of the speckle pattern data to deduce structural or biomechanical characteristics of the tissue structure, wherein the tissue structure is at least one of in vivo or an internal tissue structure, wherein the analysis of the special characteristics includes a measurement of biomechanical properties of the tissue in three dimensions.
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43. A method of analyzing tissue, comprising:
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illuminating a tissue with coherent or partially coherent light; receiving light reflected from the tissue at a detector and forming series of speckle patterns; and analyzing changes in the speckle patterns at time intervals sufficient to measure changes caused by microscopic motion of objects within the tissue, wherein the tissue is at least one of in vivo or an internal tissue, wherein the analyzing step comprises determining a collagen content of the tissue.
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44. A method of analyzing tissue, comprising:
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illuminating a tissue with coherent or partially coherent light; receiving light reflected from the tissue at a detector and forming series of speckle patterns; and analyzing changes in the speckle patterns at time intervals sufficient to measure changes caused by microscopic motion of objects within the tissue, wherein the tissue is at least one of in vivo or an internal tissue, wherein the analyzing step comprises determining a viscosity of a lipid pool within the tissue.
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45. A method of analyzing a tissue structure, comprising:
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illuminating the tissue structure with coherent or partially coherent light; receiving light reflected from the tissue structure at a detector and forming a series of speckle patterns; gathering speckle pattern data at time intervals sufficient to measure microscopic motion within the tissue structure or adjacent tissue; and assessing the tissue structure by analyzing spatial characteristics of the speckle pattern data to deduce structural or biomechanical characteristics of the tissue structure, wherein the tissue structure is at least one of in vivo or an internal tissue structure, wherein the analysis of the special characteristics includes a determination of collagen content of the tissue.
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46. A method of analyzing a tissue structure, comprising:
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illuminating the tissue structure with coherent or partially coherent light; receiving light reflected from the tissue structure at a detector and forming a series of speckle patterns; gathering speckle pattern data at time intervals sufficient to measure microscopic motion within the tissue structure or adjacent tissue; and assessing the tissue structure by analyzing spatial characteristics of the speckle pattern data to deduce structural or biomechanical characteristics of the tissue structure, wherein the tissue structure is at least one of in vivo or an internal tissue structure, wherein the analysis of the special characteristics includes a determination of analyzing comprises determining a viscosity of a lipid pool within the tissue.
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47. A method of analyzing tissue, the method comprising:
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illuminating a tissue with coherent or partially coherent light; receiving light reflected from the tissue at a detector and forming series of speckle patterns; analyzing changes in the speckle patterns at time intervals sufficient to measure changes caused by microscopic motion of objects within the tissue; and at least partially replacing blood provided in or adjacent to the tissue with at least partially transparent solution.
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48. A method of analyzing tissue, the method comprising:
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illuminating a tissue with coherent or partially coherent light; receiving light reflected from the tissue at a detector and forming series of speckle patterns; analyzing changes in the speckle patterns at time intervals sufficient to measure changes caused by microscopic motion of objects within the tissue; compensating for a macroscopic motion to isolate the microscopic motion, wherein the macroscopic motion results from a motion or the deformation of the tissue; and at least partially replacing blood provided in or adjacent to the tissue with at least partially transparent solution.
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49. A method of analyzing a tissue structure, comprising:
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illuminating the tissue structure with coherent or partially coherent light; receiving light reflected from the tissue structure at a detector and forming a series of speckle patterns; gathering speckle pattern data at time intervals sufficient to measure microscopic motion within the tissue structure or adjacent tissue; assessing the tissue structure by analyzing spatial characteristics of the speckle pattern data to deduce structural or biomechanical characteristics of the tissue structure, wherein the tissue structure is at least one of in vivo or an internal tissue structure; and compensating for macroscopic motion to isolate the microscopic motion.
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50. A method of analyzing a tissue structure, comprising:
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illuminating the tissue structure with coherent or partially coherent light; receiving light reflected from the tissue structure at a detector and forming a series of speckle patterns; gathering speckle pattern data at time intervals sufficient to measure microscopic motion within the tissue structure or adjacent tissue; assessing the tissue structure by analyzing spatial characteristics of the speckle pattern data to deduce structural or biomechanical characteristics of the tissue structure, wherein the tissue structure is at least one of in vivo or an internal tissue structure, wherein the tissue structure comprises an atherosclerotic plaque; and gathering speckle pattern data at time intervals sufficient to measure microscopic motion within a lipid pool within the atherosclerotic plaque; and
assessing the atherosclerotic plaque'"'"'s vulnerability to rupture from the amount of microscopic motion.
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Specification