Apparatus and method for laser treatment with spectroscopic feedback

• US 7,967,016 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2006
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lim, Keng Hui, Sebern, Elizabeth, Brenan, Colin J. H., Hunter, Ian W., Anderson, R. Rox
• Primary Examiner(s): Farah; Ahmed M
• Application Number:
  US11/583,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20070043341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,713 Days
• Field of Search: 606 3- 6, 606 8- 12, 607 88- 92, 128/898
• US Class Current: 128/898
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/20 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/203 applying laser energy to the outside of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00061 spectrum
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00452 Skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00458 Deeper parts of the skin, e.g. treatment of vascular disorders or port wine stains
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00476 Hair follicles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00636 Sensing and controlling the application of energy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00904 Automatic detection of target tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/35 for telesurgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/71 Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/72 Micromanipulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0036 including treatment, e.g., using an implantable medical device, ablating, ventilating
• 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 5/0095 by applying light and detecting acoustic waves, i.e. photoacoustic measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/448 Hair evaluation, e.g. for hair disorder diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4836 Diagnosis combined with treatment in closed-loop systems or methods A61B5/0036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/489 Blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/72 Signal processing specially adapted for physiological signals or for diagnostic purposes character recognition, recognising digital ink, document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00; recognition or understanding of postal images G06V30/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/37 Surgical systems with images on a monitor during operation

Abstract

A platform Smart Scalpel system using rapid real-time feedback for effecting laser treatment. The platform system includes an imaging system for rapid real-time detection of tissue characteristics, a processing system for processing the detected characteristics, and a treatment system for effecting treatment in accordance with results of the processing. The platform system provides for preprogramming and real-time inputting conditions and parameters for diagnosis using the imaging system and/or treatment using the treatment system.

Claims

1. A set of computer program instructions stored on a non-transitory, tangible computer-readable storage medium for using feedback control to non-invasively identify and locate one or more subsurface targets based on predetermined conditions for selective laser treatment at a tissue surface area, comprising:

an instruction for detecting one or more reflections of light from the tissue surface area using a multi-dimensional photo-sensor;

an instruction for determining a location and one or more characteristics for each of the one or more subsurface targets based upon the one or more reflections detected by said photo-sensor and said predetermined conditions, said predetermined conditions defined at least in part by one of predetermined image analysis and mathematical algorithms; and

an instruction for selectively treating the one or more subsurface targets using laser light of a predetermined wavelength and a predetermined power in accordance with the determined location and the one or more determined characteristics.

2. The set of computer program instructions of claim 1, further comprising an instruction for directing one of a polarized and an unpolarized light having a predetermined wavelength at the tissue surface area.

3. The set of computer program instructions of claim 1, wherein the one or more determined characteristics include at least one of a size, a shape, a color, a contrast, a brightness, a pattern, a structure, and a treatment status of tissue at the one or more subsurface targets.

4. The set of computer program instructions of claim 1, wherein the one or more determined characteristics include at least one of photometric, spectrometric, and topological properties of tissue at the one or more subsurface targets.

5. The set of computer program instructions of claim 1, wherein the determined location for said each subsurface target is determined by inference from a corresponding detected location.

6. The set of computer program instructions of claim 5, wherein said inference is based on the predetermined conditions.