Micro-scale compact device for in vivo medical diagnosis combining optical imaging and point fluorescence spectroscopy
First Claim
1. An apparatus for visually assessing and detecting abnormalities in biological tissue in vivo, the apparatus comprising:
- an emitter for emitting a plurality of ultra-violet (UV) light beams having different excitation wavelengths suitable for causing biological tissue to emit fluorescence at an emission wavelength, wherein the emitter comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and each of the plurality of LEDs emits a UV light beam at a different wavelength of a plurality of predetermined wavelengths so as to be able to excite different tissue fluorophores;
a detector for detecting the fluorescence;
a controller for controlling the emitter and detector;
a transmitter for transmitting data received from the detector to a remote receiver, the transmitter being controlled by the controller; and
a transport capsule for containing at least the emitter, the detector, the controller and the transmitter.
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for medical practitioners to detect the presence of abnormal cells including cancerous and pre-cancerous cells by using a transport capsule containing an imaging apparatus including UV sources and fluorescence detectors for obtaining images and fluorescence data of biological cells and tissue. The method includes the steps of scanning biological tissue using an ultra-violet (UV) source to obtain fluorescence data, transferring fluorescence data and/or images using a radio frequency (RF) or other suitable means to a personal computer (PC) system, analyzing the image and/or fluorescence data in the PC, identifying -tissues with precancerous and cancerous cells, and optionally determining their precise location, and assessing the accuracy of the calculated fluoroscopic images.
29 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An apparatus for visually assessing and detecting abnormalities in biological tissue in vivo, the apparatus comprising:
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an emitter for emitting a plurality of ultra-violet (UV) light beams having different excitation wavelengths suitable for causing biological tissue to emit fluorescence at an emission wavelength, wherein the emitter comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and each of the plurality of LEDs emits a UV light beam at a different wavelength of a plurality of predetermined wavelengths so as to be able to excite different tissue fluorophores; a detector for detecting the fluorescence; a controller for controlling the emitter and detector; a transmitter for transmitting data received from the detector to a remote receiver, the transmitter being controlled by the controller; and a transport capsule for containing at least the emitter, the detector, the controller and the transmitter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for visually assessing and detecting abnormalities in biological tissue in vivo using a capsule, the method comprising the steps of:
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emitting a plurality of ultra-violet (UV) light beams from the capsule having excitation wavelengths suitable for causing biological tissue to emit native fluorescence at an emission wavelength, wherein the light beams are directed at the biological tissue, each of the plurality of light beams has a different wavelength of a plurality of predetermined wavelengths so as to be able to excite different tissue fluorophores, and each of the plurality of light beams is emitted from a different one of a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs); detecting the fluorescence from biological tissue using at least one detector; and transmitting data related to the detected fluorescence to a remote receiver. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for receiving image and fluorescence data taken from biological tissue in vivo, the method comprising the steps of:
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emitting a plurality of ultra-violet (UV) light beams from a capsule, the light beams having excitation wavelengths suitable for causing biological tissue to emit fluorescence at an emission wavelength, wherein each of the plurality of light beams has a different wavelength of a plurality of predetermined wavelengths so as to be able to excite different tissue fluorophores, and each of the plurality of light beams is emitted from a different one of a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs); receiving data related to detected fluorescence from the capsule; and processing the received data to determine a fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR).
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21. A Mobile terminal (MT) apparatus for receiving image data including fluorescence data for visually assessing and detecting abnormalities in biological tissue in vivo, the apparatus comprising:
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a capsule configured to emit ultra-violet (UV) light beams having excitation wavelengths suitable for causing biological tissue to emit fluorescence at an emission wavelength, wherein each of the plurality of light beams has a different wavelength of a plurality of predetermined wavelengths so as to be able to excite different tissue fluorophores, and each of the plurality of light beams is emitted from a different one of a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs); a receiver for receiving image and fluorescence data transmitted from the capsule device; a processor for processing the image and fluorescence data received from the capsule device; and a transmitter for transmitting the received image and fluorescence data.
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Specification