Apparatus for tissue type recognition

An apparatus for categorization of a tissue type, comprising

• (1) a probe comprising a probe tip, said probe tip configured to contact at its distal end a tissue surface area selected by contacting said area with said probe tip, said probe tip comprising
• a source of electrical current,
• a sensor comprising at least three electrodes terminating at the distal end of said probe tip sensing from a tissue volume proximate said tissue surface a response to an electrical current from said current source,
• (2) a controller coupled to said sensor electrodes comprising circuitry to sequentially measure the potential difference between different pairs of said electrodes and to provide signals representative of said potential differences,
• said controller including a memory storing a known catalogue of expected tissue types and potential responses, and
• (3) a processor for processing responses from said tissue selected by contact with said probe tip and for analyzing said processed tissue responses, said processor processing the responses of said selected tissue to said source to provide a categorization of the tissue type in accordance with a comparison of the tissue responses with said known catalogue of expected tissue types and associated responses,
• said processor comprising means to compare said measured potential differences between pairs of electrodes for determining whether the probe is correctly oriented to said tissue surface.

An apparatus for categorization of a tissue type, comprising

• (1) a probe comprising a probe tip, said probe tip configured to contact a tissue surface area selected by contacting said area with said probe tip, said probe tip comprising
• a source of a first energy type,
• a source of a second energy type,
• a sensor sensing from a tissue volume proximate said tissue surface a response to energy from said source of a first energy type, and
• a sensor sensing from said tissue volume proximate said tissue surface a response to energy from said source of a second energy type,
• both of said sensors sensing responses from the same tissue volume before the probe is moved to contact another surface area,
• (2) a controller coupled to each of said sensors to receive each corresponding tissue response, said controller including a memory storing a known catalogue of expected tissue types and associated paired first energy type/second energy type responses, and
• (3) a processor for processing paired responses from said tissue selected by contact with said probe tip and for analyzing said processed paired tissue responses, said processor processing the paired responses of said selected tissue to both of said sources to provide a categorization of the tissue type in accordance with a comparison of the paired tissue responses with said known catalogue of expected tissue types and associated paired responses.

An apparatus for categorization of a tissue type, comprising

• (1) a probe comprising a probe tip, said probe tip configured to contact at its distal end a tissue surface area selected by contacting said area with said probe tip, said probe tip comprising
• a source of a first energy type,
• a sensor comprising at least three first sensor elements terminating at the distal end of said probe tip sensing from a tissue volume proximate said tissue surface a response to first energy type from said source of a first energy type,
• (2) a controller coupled to said sensor elements comprising circuitry to sequentially measure the difference in response between different pairs of said sensor elements and to provide signals representative of said differences,
• said controller including a memory storing a known catalogue of expected tissue types and potential responses, and
• (3) a processor for processing responses from said tissue selected by contact with said probe tip and for analyzing said processed tissue responses, said processor processing the responses of said selected tissue to said source to provide a categorization of the tissue type in accordance with a comparison of the tissue responses with said known catalogue of expected tissue types and associated responses,
• said processor comprising means to compare said measured differences in response between pairs of sensor elements for determining whether the probe is correctly oriented to said tissue surface.