Remotely controlled apparatus and system for tracking and locating a source of photoemissions
First Claim
1. A system for detecting and locating a source of photon emissions emanating from tissue within a body, comprising:
- a hand manipular probe having a housing, a crystal detector forwardly disposed within said housing responsive to said emissions impinging thereon to provide corresponding detector outputs, an amplifier stage within said housing adjacent said detector, responsive to said detector outputs in the presence of an applied power supply to derive count outputs at an output line, at least one piezoelectric switch mounted upon said housing, actuable to generate a switch voltage signal, a current deriving circuit arrangement, having an output coupled with said applied power supply and responsive to said switch voltage signal to impose a current signal of predetermined amplitude at said applied power supply;
a control assembly located remotely from said probe, having at least one function selection switch actuable to derive a function input, a power supply network for deriving said applied power supply, an input network for receiving and evaluating said count outputs to derive count associated signals, an output component responsive to an applied output signal to generate a perceptible output, a processor responsive to said function input and said count associated outputs to derive a said output signal corresponding therewith, a monitoring amplifier stage responsive to current levels of said applied power supply for providing a monitor output corresponding therewith, and a level comparator circuit responsive to a said monitor output corresponding with the presence of said current signal to derive an emulating signal corresponding with said function input and effecting said processor derivation of said perceptible output; and
an elongate flexible connector assembly coupled between said probe and said control assembly for coupling said output line with said input network and for conveying said applied power supply from said power supply network to said amplifier stage of said probe.
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Accused Products
Abstract
System and apparatus particularly suited for tracking a radiopharmaceutical present within a lymph duct and locating a sentinel node within which the radiopharmaceutical has concentrated. A smaller, straight, hand-held probe is employed carrying two hand actuable switches. For tracking procedures, the probe is moved in an undulatory manner wherein the location of the radiopharmaceutical containing duct is determined by observing a graphics readout developed preferably employing a circularly accessed data memory. When the region of the sentinel node is approached, a switch on the probe device is actuated by the surgeon to carry out a sequence of squelching operations until a small node locating region is defined. At that point in the procedure, the straight small probe will be pointed at and in adjacency with the radiopharmaceutical containing sentinel node. The probe-mounted switches are configured to apply preset current levels upon the probe pre-amplifier power supply. These levels are detected, identified by a discriminator and emulating signals are generated. A sterilizable remote switch provides a squelch threaded level trim function.
155 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A system for detecting and locating a source of photon emissions emanating from tissue within a body, comprising:
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a hand manipular probe having a housing, a crystal detector forwardly disposed within said housing responsive to said emissions impinging thereon to provide corresponding detector outputs, an amplifier stage within said housing adjacent said detector, responsive to said detector outputs in the presence of an applied power supply to derive count outputs at an output line, at least one piezoelectric switch mounted upon said housing, actuable to generate a switch voltage signal, a current deriving circuit arrangement, having an output coupled with said applied power supply and responsive to said switch voltage signal to impose a current signal of predetermined amplitude at said applied power supply; a control assembly located remotely from said probe, having at least one function selection switch actuable to derive a function input, a power supply network for deriving said applied power supply, an input network for receiving and evaluating said count outputs to derive count associated signals, an output component responsive to an applied output signal to generate a perceptible output, a processor responsive to said function input and said count associated outputs to derive a said output signal corresponding therewith, a monitoring amplifier stage responsive to current levels of said applied power supply for providing a monitor output corresponding therewith, and a level comparator circuit responsive to a said monitor output corresponding with the presence of said current signal to derive an emulating signal corresponding with said function input and effecting said processor derivation of said perceptible output; and an elongate flexible connector assembly coupled between said probe and said control assembly for coupling said output line with said input network and for conveying said applied power supply from said power supply network to said amplifier stage of said probe. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A system for locating and differentiating a sentinel lymph node wherein a radiopharmaceutical providing photon emissions is applied at the situs of neoplastic tissue for movement with lymph along a lymph duct toward said sentinel lymph node;
- comprising;
a hand manipular probe having a housing, a crystal detector assembly within said housing having an outwardly disposed surface and responsive to said photon emissions to provide corresponding count outputs; a control assembly having an input network for receiving and evaluating the energy levels of said count outputs to derive count associated signals, having a processing network compiling said cot associated signals over predetermined time intervals to derive a sequence of count rate values; and a display assembly responsive to said count rate values to provide a visual graphic output representing said count rate values as amplitudes with respect to time corresponding with the movement of said probe along a path generally transverse to said duct.
- comprising;
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13. A system for locating a sentinel lymph node wherein a radiopharmaceutical providing photon emissions is applied at the situs of neoplastic tissue for movement with lymph along a lymph duct toward said sentinel lymph node, comprising:
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a hand manipular probe having a housing, a crystal detector forwardly disposed within said housing having an outwardly disposed surface supported in perpendicular relationship with an orientation axis, responsive to said emissions impinging upon said surface to provide corresponding detector outputs, an amplifier stage within said housing adjacent said detector, responsive to said detector outputs in the presence of an applied power supply to derive count outputs at an output line, a piezoelectric switch mounted upon said housing, actuable to generate a switch voltage signal, a current deriving circuit arrangement having an output coupled with said applied power supply and responsive to said switch voltage signal to impose a current signal of predetermined amplitude at said applied power supply; a control assembly located remotely from said probe having a range switch actuable to derive a count rate threshold input signal, a power supply network for deriving said applied power supply, an input network for receiving and evaluating said count outputs to derive count associated signals, a first output component responsive to an applied first output signal to generate an aurally perceptible output, a second output component responsive to count rate values to provide a visual graphic output representing said count rate values and amplitudes with respect to time, a processor responsive to said count rate input signal and said count associated outputs to selectively derive a count rate threshold based said first output signal, said processor being further responsive to said count associated outputs to derive count associated signals and compiling said count associated signals over predetermined time intervals to derive a sequence of said count rate values for application to said second output component, said control assembly including a monitoring amplifier stage responsive to current levels of said applied power supply for providing a monitor output, and a level comparator circuit responsive to said monitor output corresponding with the presence of said current applied signal to derive an emulating signal corresponding with said count rate input signal and effecting said processor response thereto; and an elongate flexible connector assembly coupled between said probe and said control assembly for coupling said output line with said input network and for conveying said applied power supply from said power supply network to said amplifier stage of said probe. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A system for locating a sentinel lymph node wherein a radiopharmaceutical providing photon emissions is applied at the situs of neoplastic tissue for movement with lymph along a lymph duct to collect in said sentinel lymph node, comprising:
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a hand manipular probe having a housing, a crystal detector assembly within said housing, having an outwardly disposed surface supported in perpendicular relationship with an orientation axis, said probe being responsive to said emissions impinging upon said surface to provide corresponding count outputs; a control assembly responsive to said count outputs to derive count rate values corresponding therewith, said control assembly being actuable to compile said count outputs over a squelch interval and derive an initial squelch threshold count rate value and subsequently deriving an aurally perceptible output when said derived count rate values exceed said squelch threshold count rate value, and responsive to a threshold trim signal for changing said initial and subsequently changed values of said squelch threshold count rate value; and a squelch value trim assembly positionable remotely from said control assembly and coupled in signal transfer communication with said control assembly including at least one switch manually actuable to derive said threshold trim signal. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. A system for locating and differentiating a sentinel lymph node wherein a radiopharmaceutical providing photon emissions is applied at the situs of neoplastic tissue for movement with lymph along a lymph duct toward said sentinel lymph node;
- comprising;
a hand manipular probe having a housing, a crystal detector assembly within said housing having an outwardly disposed surface and responsive to said photon emissions to provide corresponding count outputs; a control assembly having an input network for receiving and evaluating the energy levels of said count outputs to derive count associated signals, having a processing network compiling said count associated signals over predetermined time intervals to derive a sequence of count rate values; a display assembly responsive to said count rate values to provide a visual graphic output representing said count rate values as amplitudes with respect to time corresponding with the movement of said probe in a path generally transverse to said duct; and said control assembly processing network being configured for initially compiling said count associated signals for first intervals of time to provide first count rate increment values and said first count rate increment values are compiled for second intervals of time greater than said first intervals of time to provide said count rate values for deriving said visual graphic output. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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24. A system for locating and differentiating a sentinel lymph node wherein a radiopharmaceutical providing photon emissions is applied at the situs of neoplastic tissue for movement with lymph along a lymph duct toward said sentinel lymph node, comprising:
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a hand manipular probe having a housing, a crystal detector assembly within said housing having an outwardly disposed surface and responsive to said photon emissions to provide corresponding count outputs; a control assembly having an input network for receiving and evaluating the energy levels of said count outputs to derive count associated signals, having a processing network configured as a uniformly weighted moving average filter compiling said count associated signals over predetermined time intervals to derive a sequence of count rate values; and a display assembly responsive to said count rate values to provide a visual graphic output representing said count rate values as amplitudes with respect to time corresponding with the movement of said probe in a path generally transverse to said duct.
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Specification