System for confocal imaging within dermal tissue
First Claim
1. A system for stabilizing an imaging system to tissue comprising:
- a device comprising a first member having an opening, and a second member coupled to said first member to be slidably movable following a curvature of said first member, and having an aperture; and
an imaging system attached to at least said second member to image in-vivo tissue through said opening and said aperture in which said aperture provides a view of the tissue to said imaging system through said opening during imaging of the tissue, wherein said first member has a surface adapted to approximate the curvature of a part of the body of a patient to be imaged by said imaging system when said first member is located upon the patient.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improved system for confocal imaging within dermal tissue of a patient is provided which minimizes instability in confocal images by reducing the relative motion of the tissue with respect to the confocal imaging optics of the system. The system includes a mechanism for maintaining an area of skin tissue under stress by application of force at the edges of the area, and an imaging head coupled to this mechanism for imaging the stressed skin. The mechanism includes a mechanical structure, such as a platen, brace, or attachment, which both supports the imaging head of the system and applies stress to a limited surface area of the tissue to minimize skin motion during confocal imaging.
59 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for stabilizing an imaging system to tissue comprising:
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a device comprising a first member having an opening, and a second member coupled to said first member to be slidably movable following a curvature of said first member, and having an aperture; and an imaging system attached to at least said second member to image in-vivo tissue through said opening and said aperture in which said aperture provides a view of the tissue to said imaging system through said opening during imaging of the tissue, wherein said first member has a surface adapted to approximate the curvature of a part of the body of a patient to be imaged by said imaging system when said first member is located upon the patient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A system for stabilizing an imaging system to tissue comprising:
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a device comprising a first member having an opening, and a second member coupled to said first member to be movable with respect to said first member, and having an aperture; an imaging system attached to at least said second member to image the tissue through said opening and said aperture in which said aperture provides a view of the tissue to said imaging system through said opening, wherein said first member has a surface adapted to approximate the curvature of a part of the body of a patient to be imaged by said imaging system when said first member is located upon the patient; and one or more straps are adapted to be disposed over the part of the patient having the tissue to be imaged, and said one or more straps restrain at least said first member to the patient.
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10. A device to stabilize an imaging apparatus upon a patient to image one or more tissue sections comprising:
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a first lamination having a first curvature and providing a first surface with an opening; and a second lamination having a second curvature which conforms to said first curvature and said second lamination provides a second surface with an aperture which enables viewing of in-vivo tissue via said opening of said first lamination when said first lamination is located upon a patient, wherein said second lamination is coupled to said first lamination to enable said second surface to be slidable following said first curvature of said first surface while said aperture enables viewing of the in-vivo tissue through said opening of said first lamination when said first lamination is located upon a patient, and said second lamination is attachable to an imaging apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A system for stabilizing an imaging apparatus upon a patient to image one or more tissue sections comprising:
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a material window capable of being pressed against tissue to stress the tissue; an objective lens for focusing illumination through said material window to the tissue and receiving returned illumination representative of a section of the tissue; and a snout having said objective lens providing paths for illumination which is focused by said objective lens to the tissue and for returned illumination from the tissue in which said paths each substantially share an entirety of said objective lens, wherein said snout is adapted to extend in a direction toward the tissue and said window is disposed adjacent said snout, wherein said snout is part of a housing having at least a source of illumination to said objective lens, and said snout and said window are separable components from each other and are components of different devices. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification