Noise aware edge enhancement in a pulsed fluorescence imaging system

A system for endoscopic visualization within a light deficient environment, the system comprising:

• an endoscope;
• an emitter that emits a plurality of pulses of electromagnetic radiation according to a pulse cycle, wherein the plurality of pulses comprises:
• a visible emission comprising only electromagnetic radiation within a visible waveband of the electromagnetic spectrum;
• and
• a fluorescence excitation emission comprising electromagnetic radiation within a waveband from about 770 nm to about 795 nm or electromagnetic radiation within a waveband from about 790 nm to about 815 nm;
• an image sensor disposed within a lumen of the endoscope, wherein the image sensor operates according to a sensor cycle that is synchronized in time with the pulse cycle of the emitter, and wherein the sensor cycle comprises:
• the pixel array accumulating a fluorescence relaxation emission during a fluorescence blanking period of the image sensor, wherein the emitter pulses only the fluorescence excitation emission during the fluorescence blanking period;
• and
• the image sensor reading out the pixel array to output a fluorescence exposure frame during a fluorescence readout period of the image sensor that occurs subsequent to the fluorescence blanking period;
• one or more processors configurable to execute instructions stored in non-transitory computer readable storage media, the instructions comprising:
• applying edge enhancement to edges within the fluorescence exposure frame to separate true edges of the fluorescence relaxation emission from random noise;
• providing the fluorescence exposure frame to a corresponding system configured to identify a tissue structure within a scene based on the pixel accumulation data for the fluorescence exposure frame, wherein the corresponding system classifies pixels within the fluorescence exposure frame as indicating a presence of the tissue structure based on whether the pixels exceed or fall below a threshold;
• receiving an output from the corresponding system comprising one or more of a location or an identity of the tissue structure;
• and
• generating an overlay frame based on the output from the corresponding system, wherein the overlay highlights the location of the tissue structure.