Advanced nervous tissue imaging system

A nervous tissue imaging system comprising:

• a housing configured for use in a sterile environment, the housing containing
• an excitation light source, optically coupled with a source optical train, the excitation light source configured to selectively control and emit, from the excitation light source and coupled through the source optical train, excitation light in a first wavelength range in a near ultraviolet light range to illuminate a tissue region of interest including healthy nervous tissue and healthy non-nervous tissue, the excitation light source designed and constructed to emit the first wavelength range of the excitation light that causes the healthy nervous tissue, in response to being illuminated with the excitation light, to endogenously autoflouresce and emit first autofluorescence light at a first luminance in a second wavelength range in a visible light range, and further the healthy non-nervous tissue, in response to being illuminated with the excitation light, at least one of:
• avoids endogenously autoflourescing and emitting any autofluorescence light in the second wavelength range;
• or
• endogenously autoflouresces and emits second autofluorescence light in the second wavelength range at a second luminance that is lower than the first luminance;
• control electronic circuitry, electrically coupled with the excitation light source, for controlling the excitation light source;
• and
• a controller/processor, operatively coupled with the control electronic circuitry and with the excitation light source, configured to selectively control at least one operational parameter of the excitation light source that controls the excitation light from the excitation light source.

A method in a tissue imaging system, for displaying a first image of location of a nervous tissue and a second image of location of non-nervous tissue adjacent to and/or surrounding the nervous tissue, the method comprising:

• illuminate an excitation light in a first wavelength range onto a tissue region of interest including healthy nervous tissue and healthy non-nervous tissue, the healthy non-nervous tissue adjacent to and/or surrounding the nervous tissue;
• capturing, with a camera, image data of endogenous autofluorescence light emitted from the healthy nervous tissue at a first luminance in a second wavelength range in a visible light range, the endogenous autofluorescence light emitted from the nervous tissue being induced by illumination of the excitation light on the nervous tissue;
• and
• capturing, with the camera, image data of light signal received from the healthy non-nervous tissue contemporaneous with capturing the image data of the endogenous autofluorescence light emitted from the healthy nervous tissue at the first luminance in the second wavelength range, the healthy non-nervous tissue, in response to being illuminated with the excitation light, at least one of:
• avoids endogenously autoflourescing and emitting any autofluorescence light in the second wavelength range;
• or
• endogenously autoflouresces and emits second autofluorescence light in the second wavelength range at a second luminance that is lower than the first luminance;
• and
• forming a first image of location of the healthy nervous tissue in the tissue region of interest;
• forming a second image of location of the healthy non-nervous tissue in the tissue region of interest;
• and
• displaying the first image and the second image on a display, with the first image being displayed contrasted (distinguished) from the display of the second image to identify the location of nervous tissue and the location of the non-nervous tissue in the tissue region of interest.

A nervous tissue imaging system comprising:

• a housing configured for use in a sterile environment, the housing containing
• an excitation light source, optically coupled with a source optical train, the excitation light source configured to selectively control and emit, from the excitation light source and coupled through the source optical train, excitation light in a first wavelength range in a near ultraviolet light range to illuminate a tissue region of interest including healthy nervous tissue and healthy non-nervous tissue, the excitation light source designed and constructed to emit the first wavelength range of the excitation light that causes the healthy nervous tissue, in response to being illuminated with the excitation light, to endogenously autoflouresce and emit first autofluorescence light at a first luminance in a second wavelength range in a visible light range, and further the healthy non-nervous tissue, in response to being illuminated with the excitation light, at least one of:
• avoids endogenously autoflourescing and emitting any autofluorescence light in the second wavelength range;
• or
• endogenously autoflouresces and emits second autofluorescence light in the second wavelength range at a second luminance that is lower than the first luminance;
• control electronic circuitry, electrically coupled with the excitation light source, for controlling the excitation light source;
• and
• a controller/processor, operatively coupled with the control electronic circuitry and with the excitation light source, configured to selectively control at least one operational parameter of the excitation light source that controls the excitation light from the excitation light source.