Biological information imaging apparatus, biological information analyzing method, and biological information imaging method

• US 7,864,307 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2008
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Fukutani, Kazuhiko, Asao, Yasufumi, Nakajima, Takao, Den, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Geisel; Kara E
• Application Number:
  US12/204,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20090002685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 356 72- 73, 600309-310
• US Class Current: 356/73
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0035 adapted for acquisition of images from more than one imaging mode, e.g. combining MRI and optical tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0073 by tomography, i.e. reconstruction of 3D images from 2D projections A61B5/0066 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0095 by applying light and detecting acoustic waves, i.e. photoacoustic measurements

Abstract

A biological information imaging apparatus includes: a light source; an acoustic wave detector that detects an acoustic wave generated from a light absorption material in a living body that has absorbed a part of energy of light irradiated from the light source to the living body, and converts it into a first electric signal; a photodetector that detect optical intensity of a portion of the light irradiated from the light source to the living body and propagating in the living body, and converts it into a second electric signal; and a calculation unit that calculates optical property distribution information on the living body by making use of an analytical result of one of the first electric signal and the second electric signal for analysis of the other electric signal.

Claims

1. A biological information imaging apparatus comprising:

a light source;

an acoustic wave detector that detects an acoustic wave generated from a light absorption material in a living body that has absorbed a part of energy of light irradiated from said light source to the living body, and converts the acoustic wave into a first electric signal;

a photodetector that detects optical intensity of a portion of the light irradiated from said light source to the living body and propagating in the living body, and converts the optical intensity into a second electric signal; and

a calculation unit that calculates optical property distribution information on the living body by making use of an analytical result of one of the first electric signal and the second electric signal for analysis of the other electric signal,

wherein said calculation unit calculates second optical property distribution information by making use of first optical property distribution information that is an analytical result of the first electric signal for the analysis of the second electric signal, and

wherein the first optical property distribution information is either of a size of the light absorption material, a position in which the light absorption material exists, and an optical energy absorption density distribution of the light absorption material.

2. The biological information imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second optical property distribution information is either of an amount of light irradiated to the light absorption material, an absorption coefficient of the light absorption material, and an effective scattering coefficient of the light absorption material.

3. A biological information analyzing method for analyzing electric signals that are obtained from an acoustic wave detector and a photodetector, wherein the acoustic wave detector detects an acoustic wave generated from a light absorption material in a living body that has absorbed a part of energy of light irradiated from a light source to the living body, and converts the acoustic wave into a first electric signal, and the photodetector detects optical intensity of a portion of the light irradiated from the light source to the living body and propagating in the living body, and converts the optical intensity into a second electric signal, said method comprising the steps of:

analyzing an optical energy absorption density distribution from the first electric signal;

calculating an absorption coefficient distribution or an effective scattering coefficient distribution of the light absorption material by analyzing the second electric signal with the use of the optical energy absorption density distribution; and

calculating an elastic property distribution by using the absorption coefficient distribution of the light absorption material.