US 2003/0078477 A1 · Fluorescence endoscope apparatus and method for imaging tissue within a body using the same

Abstract

This present invention relates to a fluorescence endoscope apparatus, developed for diagnosing various illnesses within a body, especially for diagnosing a tumor inflamed region; and an application method of the same. The purpose of this invention is to enhance the accuracy of the examination. The fluorescence light endoscope apparatus in accordance with the present invention is comprised of an endoscope probe; a multiple light source that provides illumination light or excitation light of short wavelength onto a diagnostic region; a color CCD camera and a high sensitive monochromatic CCD camera placed on the back of an endoscope ocular lens; a reference test sample; a computer; and a monitor. The method of the present invention embodies a preliminary correction of the fluorescence endoscope apparatus of the present invention in accordance with the reference test sample; a general endoscopy using the illumination light, and an image observation and examination of the same diagnostic region using the fluorescence light and the reflected excitation light simultaneously; an auto-correction of brightness and unevenness of the fluorescence light images of the diagnostic region according to the reference test sample data; an evaluation of the brightness of the fluorescence light in the diagnosis region; storing numerical data that characterizing images and brightness of the fluorescence light in the diagnosis region; and storing image collected via two cameras as digital video clips.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A fluorescence endoscope apparatus for imaging tissue within a body that has a characteristic of comprising;

a multiple light source unit, equipped with multiple light sources of various wavelengths, for providing a selected light;
a light transmission unit, where an exit path for transmitting and radiating the provided light and an incidence path for transmitting the incidence light in correspondence with said radiation are formed in parallel with each other, and an objective lens is installed on said incidence path, to be able to be inserted in to an interior of a body;
a light splitting unit for separating light transmitted via said incidence path, into primary and secondary light by letting the light to pass through or to reflect according to the light type;
a primary image processing unit for collecting primary images in accordance with the primary light that has passed through;
a secondary image processing unit for collecting secondary images in accordance with the reflected secondary light;
a control unit for processing, analyzing, storing and synthesizing the collected primary and secondary images;
and
a display unit for displaying said primary and secondary images or synthesized images that are processed in said control unit.

5 more elements

A method for imaging tissue within a body using the fluorescence endoscope apparatus, comprising the steps of:

collecting reference data regarding standard fluorescence images of corresponding object under examination from a reference test sample of a model that has same/similar optical characteristics as an actual object under examination;
illuminating a diagnostic region of said object under examination using the illumination light;
collecting and displaying color images based on the reflective light reflected by lighting of said illumination light;
lighting said diagnostic region using the excitation light that has a wide spectrum range;
collecting high sensitive monochromatic images based on the fluorescence light from the lighting of said excitation light, and at the same time, collecting color images based on the reflective light from the same;
correcting said collected high sensitive monochromatic images and brightness of said fluorescence light, based on said collected reference data;
and
displaying said corrected high sensitive monochromatic image and color image on the screen simultaneously, or displaying as a single synthesized image after synthesis.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Fluorescence endoscope apparatus and method for imaging tissue within a body using the same

Life of this patent

Fluorescence endoscope apparatus and method for imaging tissue within a body using the same

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21