Device and method for classification of tissue
OwnerDavid A. Benaron, Boris Rubinskyinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A diagnostic monitor for classifying biological tissue in which a light emitter (102) is optically coupled to the tissue to be diagnosed (145) and a light detector (174) is optically coupled to the tissue to detect a portion of the light which passes through the tissue. The tissue classifier (184) receives a signal from the detector and provides an optical classification output signal (195), wherein the tissue is classified by type or state, either for detection, localization, or imaging. A method of classifying tissue is also described.
Claims66
A diagnostic monitor for classifying an unknown biological tissue into one or more tissue types, comprising:
- (a) a light emitter for illuminating the unknown tissue with at least one wavelength of illuminating radiation, said emitter optically coupled to the tissue;
- (b) a light detector for detecting an intensity of a portion of said illumination after having passed though a region of the tissue, and for providing a detected signal in response to said detected portion, said detector optically coupled to the tissue;
- and,
- (c) tissue classifier means for classifying the unknown tissue based upon said detected signal, wherein said classifier is operable to perform a computational comparison of said detected signal to a set of reference criteria in order to classify the unknown tissue, and for generating an output signal in response to said classification.
An optical biopsy method for characterizing an unknown tissue sample, comprising the steps of:
- (a) illuminating the tissue sample with light of a number of discrete wavelengths;
- (b) detecting a measured intensity of a portion of said illumination after having propagated through a part of the tissue sample at said number of discrete wavelengths;
- (c) classifying the tissue sample based on a computational comparison of the measured intensity at one or more of said wavelengths to a set of reference criteria in order to classify the unknown tissue;
- and,
- (d) producing an optical biopsy output signal in response to the classification.
A method of monitoring a regional change in state within a living tissue, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) illuminating said tissue with electromagnetic radiation in temporal proximity to a change in tissue state;
- (b) detecting portions of said illuminating radiation have propagated through said tissue;
- and,
- (c) characterizing, based upon said detected portions of illuminating radiation, at least one changing region of said tissue.
An apparatus for detecting and classifying an unknown biological tissue in a medium that scatters a radiative wave, comprising:
- (a) a radiative wave source arranged to emit radiation into the tissue;
- (b) a radiative wave detector for detecting a portion of said radiation and providing a detected signal in response to said detected portion, said detected portion having passed through a region of said tissue;
- and,
- (c) a computer for receiving said detected signal, said computer configured to classify the unknown tissue based upon a classification function of said detected signal, wherein said computer is operable to perform a comparison of said detected signal to a set of reference criteria in order to classify the unknown tissue, and for generating an output signal in response to said classification.
A method for noninvasively detecting at least one regional inhomogeneity in a turbid medium, comprising:
- (a) illuminating said medium with electromagnetic radiation of at least one wavelength;
- (b) detecting at least a portion of said illuminating radiation after said radiation has propagated through said medium over multiple non-parallel paths, and for providing output signals, said output signals being comprised of multiple regional component signals, said component signals detected after propagating through different regions of the medium;
- (c) resolving said multiple regional component signals;
- and,
- (d) determining at least one quantifiable parameter influenced by said at least one regional inhomogeneity in the medium based upon at least one of said regional component signals.
A medical monitor for making measurement of tissue, comprising:
- (a) a light emitter for illuminating the tissue with at least one wavelength of illuminating radiation, said emitter optically coupled to the tissue;
- (b) a light detector for detecting an intensity of a portion of said illuminating radiation after having passed though the tissue, and for providing a detected signal in response to said detected portion, said detector optically coupled to the tissue;
- and,
- (c) tissue classifier means for receiving said detected signal, for determining the presence or absence of at least one target tissue based upon said comparison, and for generating an output signal in response to said determination, wherein said classifier is operable to perform a computational comparison of said detected signal to a database of stored reference spectra and diagnostic criteria in order to classify the unknown tissue.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.