Estimating apparatus and estimating method
First Claim
1. An estimating apparatus for therapy for atrial fibrillation, for irradiating a cardiac-muscle tissue having absorbed photo-sensitive pharmaceutical, the photo-sensitive pharmaceutical absorbing an excitation light and emitting fluorescence, with the excitation light emitted from a tip portion of a laser catheter, comprising:
- a connector which the laser catheter is capable of being attached to and detached from;
a light source for outputting the excitation light to the laser catheter via the connector;
a detection unit for detecting fluorescence, the fluorescence entering the detection unit from the laser catheter via the connector, to estimate whether the cardiac-muscle tissue is changed because of reaction between the excitation light emitted from the tip portion of the laser catheter and the photo-sensitive pharmaceutical absorbed in the cardiac-muscle tissue, andwhether a contact state of the tip portion of the laser catheter with respect to the cardiac-muscle tissue has changed; and
a controller for simultaneously estimating whether the cardiac-muscle tissue has changed because of the reaction between the excitation light emitted from the tip portion of the laser catheter and the photosensitive pharmaceutical absorbed in the cardiac-muscle tissue, and the contact state of the tip portion of the laser catheter with respect to the cardiac-muscle tissue, the controller calculating fluorescence intensity and determining the non-contact state if the controller determines that the fluorescence intensity is equal to or larger than a first threshold;
determining the upright-contact state if the controller determines that the minimum value of the fluorescence intensity is equal to or smaller than a second threshold, which is smaller than the first threshold;
determining the slanting-contact state if the controller determines that the fluorescence intensity periodically fluctuates between the first threshold and the second threshold;
determining whether the fluorescence intensity is attenuated below a threshold; and
estimating that there is a cytocidal effect on a tissue irradiated with the excitation light if the controller determines that the fluorescence intensity is attenuated below the threshold.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A photodynamic therapy apparatus as an estimating apparatus is an apparatus for irradiating a tissue having absorbed photo-sensitive pharmaceutical, the photo-sensitive pharmaceutical absorbing an excitation light and emitting fluorescence, with the excitation light emitted from a tip portion of a laser catheter, including a connector, a light source, and a light detection unit. The laser catheter is capable of being attached to and detached from the connector. The light source outputs the excitation light to the laser catheter via the connector. The light detection unit detects intensity or a spectrum of the fluorescence, the fluorescence being entered from the laser catheter via the connector, to estimate whether the tissue has changed because of reaction between the excitation light emitted from the tip portion of the laser catheter and the photo-sensitive pharmaceutical absorbed in the tissue.
21 Citations
16 Claims
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1. An estimating apparatus for therapy for atrial fibrillation, for irradiating a cardiac-muscle tissue having absorbed photo-sensitive pharmaceutical, the photo-sensitive pharmaceutical absorbing an excitation light and emitting fluorescence, with the excitation light emitted from a tip portion of a laser catheter, comprising:
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a connector which the laser catheter is capable of being attached to and detached from; a light source for outputting the excitation light to the laser catheter via the connector; a detection unit for detecting fluorescence, the fluorescence entering the detection unit from the laser catheter via the connector, to estimate whether the cardiac-muscle tissue is changed because of reaction between the excitation light emitted from the tip portion of the laser catheter and the photo-sensitive pharmaceutical absorbed in the cardiac-muscle tissue, and whether a contact state of the tip portion of the laser catheter with respect to the cardiac-muscle tissue has changed; and a controller for simultaneously estimating whether the cardiac-muscle tissue has changed because of the reaction between the excitation light emitted from the tip portion of the laser catheter and the photosensitive pharmaceutical absorbed in the cardiac-muscle tissue, and the contact state of the tip portion of the laser catheter with respect to the cardiac-muscle tissue, the controller calculating fluorescence intensity and determining the non-contact state if the controller determines that the fluorescence intensity is equal to or larger than a first threshold;
determining the upright-contact state if the controller determines that the minimum value of the fluorescence intensity is equal to or smaller than a second threshold, which is smaller than the first threshold;
determining the slanting-contact state if the controller determines that the fluorescence intensity periodically fluctuates between the first threshold and the second threshold;
determining whether the fluorescence intensity is attenuated below a threshold; and
estimating that there is a cytocidal effect on a tissue irradiated with the excitation light if the controller determines that the fluorescence intensity is attenuated below the threshold. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An estimating method, comprising:
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irradiating a tissue having absorbed photosensitive pharmaceutical, the photo-sensitive pharmaceutical absorbing an excitation light and emitting fluorescence, with the excitation light emitted from a tip portion of a laser catheter; extracting the fluorescence corresponding to the irradiated excitation light via the laser catheter; and simultaneously estimating whether the tissue has changed because of reaction between the excitation light emitted from the tip portion of the laser catheter and the photo-sensitive pharmaceutical absorbed in the tissue, and the contact state of the tip portion of the laser catheter with respect to the tissue, based on intensity of the extracted fluorescence, calculating fluorescence intensity and determining the non-contact state if a controller determines that the fluorescence intensity is equal to or lamer than a first threshold;
determining the upright-contact state if the controller determines that the minimum value of the fluorescence intensity is equal to or smaller than a second threshold, which is smaller than the first threshold;
the controller determines the slanting-contact state if the controller determines that the fluorescence intensity periodically fluctuates between the first threshold and the second threshold;
determining whether the fluorescence intensity is attenuated below a threshold; and
estimating that there is a cytocidal effect on a tissue irradiated with the excitation light if the controller determines that the fluorescence intensity is attenuated below the threshold. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. An estimating method using photo-sensitive pharmaceutical absorbing an excitation light and emitting a fluorescence, a laser catheter capable of emitting the excitation light from a tip portion, and an estimating apparatus including a connector to/from which the laser catheter is capable of being attached/detached and a light source for outputting the excitation light to the laser catheter via the connector, comprising:
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absorbing, in a tissue, the photo-sensitive pharmaceutical; leading the tip portion of the laser catheter to the tissue having absorbed the photo-sensitive pharmaceutical, the laser catheter being attached to the connector; irradiating the tissue having absorbed the photosensitive pharmaceutical with the excitation light emitted from the tip portion of the laser catheter, the excitation light being output from the light source; extracting the fluorescence corresponding to the irradiated excitation light via the laser catheter; and simultaneously estimating whether the tissue has changed because of reaction between the excitation light emitted from the tip portion of the laser catheter and the photosensitive pharmaceutical absorbed in the tissue, and the contact state of the tip portion of the laser catheter with respect to the tissue, based on intensity of the extracted fluorescence, calculating fluorescence intensity and determining the non-contact state if a controller determines that the fluorescence intensity is equal to or lamer than a first threshold;
determining the upright-contact state if the controller determines that the minimum value of the fluorescence intensity is equal to or smaller than a second threshold, which is smaller than the first threshold;
the controller determines the slanting-contact state if the controller determines that the fluorescence intensity periodically fluctuates between the first threshold and the second threshold;
determining whether the fluorescence intensity is attenuated below a threshold; and
estimating that there is a cytocidal effect on a tissue irradiated with the excitation light if the controller determines that the fluorescence intensity is attenuated below the threshold. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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Specification