Infrared endoscopic imaging in a liquid with suspended particles: method and apparatus

A device for imaging an object within a bloody liquid medium, the device comprising:

• an endoscope catheter including a fiber optic cable suitable for transmitting infrared light, said fiber optic cable having a distal end and a proximal end;
• an infrared light source engaged with the proximal end of said cable, said light source for transmitting monochromatic infrared light at a wavelength corresponding to a local absorption minima;
• an optical head assembly engaged with the distal end of said cable for transmitting infrared illumination from the infrared light source through the bloody liquid medium to the object and for receiving reflected and scattered light from the object and transmitting said reflected light to said cable;
• and
• a lens and an infrared camera for receiving said reflected and scattered light from said cable at the same wavelength and forming an image of said object.

An imaging device comprising:

• means for directing infrared illumination at a wavelength through blood so that at least some of the infrared illumination will reflect from an object within said blood, thereby generating reflected illumination;
• said illumination being monochromatic and corresponding to a local absorption minima of the blood;
• means for receiving said reflected illumination at the same wavelength;
• and
• an infrared camera engaged with said receiving means capable of forming an image of the object.

A non-invasive method of imaging an object within a closed environment such as an eye that has a mixture of blood and vitreous humor, where the blood has rendered the object opaque in the visible spectrum comprising the steps of:

• introducing monochromatic infrared illumination into the closed environment so that the infrared illumination is reflected and scattered by the environment;
• said monochromatic infrared illumination being at a wavelength corresponding to a local absorption minima of the blood;
• and
• receiving said reflected and scattered light at the same wavelength with an infrared camera to form an image of the object within the closed environment.

Apparatus for forming an image within a closed environment containing a liquid or gel wherein blood has rendered the closed environment opaque in the visible spectrum, comprising:

• means for introducing infrared illumination into the closed environment, whereby the illumination is scattered and reflected;
• means for collecting the scattered and reflected illumination to form an image of objects or surface details of the closed environment;
• and
• whereby said means for introducing illumination introduces monochromatic illumination at a wavelength corresponding to a local absorption minima and the collecting means collects the scattered and reflected illumination at the same wavelength.